Could this be the most factually correct and least dramatic aviation-related newspaper article ever?
Qantas forced to abort flight
* Jodie Minus
* From: The Australian
* February 19, 2010 12:00AM
QANTAS said passengers and crew were not in any danger when an Airbus 330 jet bound for China had to return to Sydney yesterday because of a problem with the plane's landing gear.
Flight QF129 left Sydney bound for Shanghai at 11.30am, but the pilot was unable to fully retract the landing gear and had to burn fuel before landing in Sydney again four hours later.
Qantas Group executive government and corporate affairs David Epstein said the service was unable to continue to Shanghai because the drag on the landing gear would have resulted in fuel being burned in excess of the volume required to complete a non-stop flight.
"Following procedure, the captain circled the aircraft over the Tasman Sea for approximately two hours in order to burn fuel and ensure that it was below its maximum landing weight," Mr Epstein said.
"This was not an emergency situation or landing - at no stage was there any safety issue.
"Passengers were kept informed by the captain and a meal service provided."
A Qantas spokeswoman said engineers were inspecting the aircraft to determine the cause of the problem, which was a hydraulic issue and nothing to do with the navigation system, which has caused problems for the Airbus in the past.
The nearly 200 passengers on board were transferred to a replacement aircraft, which left at 4.30pm.
"The passengers and crew weren't in any danger, the spokeswoman said.
In November 2008, the same flight was forced to return to Sydney an hour into its journey after its radar systems had malfunctioned.
BRAVO!
