http://www.news.com.au/travel/story/...009000,00.html
Qantas safety record under threat
By Steve Creedy February 12, 2008 05:53am
QANTAS'S jealously guarded reputation for never having lost a jet aircraft is under threat following an accident involving a Boeing 717.
The Qantaslink jet carrying 84 passengers from Nhulunbuy, in Arnhem Land, was substantially damaged when it landed heavily after a sudden loss of altitude as it came into land in Darwin last Thursday.
The heavy landing produced wrinkling in the aircraft's skin at the rear of the fuselage, suggesting possible damage to the airframe and prompting speculation that the plane is a write-off.
Although the leased aircraft was operated for Qantaslink by National Jet Systems, a write-off would be the first under Qantas colours.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau, which is investigating, yesterday described the damage to the aircraft as "substantial".
An ATSB spokesman was unable to say last night whether the aircraft could be repaired.
"There have been engineers called to inspect the aircraft, but whether it's a write-off or whether it's reparable I don't think is known," he said.
Qantaslink issued a short statement confirming the Boeing 717 operating from Cairns via Nhulunbuy to Darwin was involved in a heavy landing. It said there were no injuries, and passengers disembarked normally.
"The incident is being investigated in consultation with Boeing (and) National Jet Systems, which operates the aircraft on behalf of Qantaslink," Qantas group general manager regional airlines Narendra Kumar said.
"As required, the incident has been reported to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and the ATSB."
Asked whether the aircraft would be written off, a spokeswoman said: "The investigation is under way and we've got to await the outcome."
The airline has an enviable reputation for air safety. A move to repair a Boeing 747-400, which ran off a runway in Bangkok in 1999 costing about $100m, was widely seen as a move to protect that record.