Qantas jet in SA makes emergency landing
Saturday Mar 29 18:45 AEDT
A crack in the external window of a Qantas jet caused an emergency landing at Adelaide airport on Saturday afternoon.
A Boeing 747 flying from Perth to Sydney was forced to make the unscheduled landing when the window "popped", a passenger said.
"A window in the business class section popped mid-air," said the passenger, who did not want to give his name.
"The pilot got people to sit down and fasten their seat belts and assured passengers later on that they (the windows) were triple strength and the plane was being diverted just to be on the safe side."
The passenger said the plane landed safely in Adelaide where it was met on the tarmac by a full suite of emergency service vehicles, but that no one had been injured.
Qantas confirmed the reports of the unplanned landing, saying the diversion to Adelaide was merely "a precaution".
"The plane was diverted to Adelaide as a precaution due to a suspected crack in an external window panel," a Qantas spokeswoman said.
"Engineers are inspecting the aircraft in Adelaide."
She said passengers would be accommodated on another aircraft leaving Adelaide this evening.
It was the latest in a string of mechanical problems or gear failure incidents which have beset Qantas planes this year.
On January 7, a Qantas Boeing 747 carrying more than 300 people lost power while approaching Bangkok.
On February 20, a plane's landing gear failed on a Qantas flight from Gladstone to Rockhampton in Queensland.
Then on March 25, an international Qantas flight carrying 232 passengers was forced to abort its takeoff at Los Angeles.
In July last year, The Australian newspaper reported that staples were used to hold wiring in place on a Qantas 747-400.
This came days after a tyre burst on a Qantas plane landing at Sydney domestic airport, and an engine panel fell from QF415 upon landing at Melbourne.
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