RAAF Hercules diverts with fumes in the cabin
Earlier today an RAAF C-130 Hercules similar to the one pictured above departed Richmond Air Force Base bound for Darwin. Enroute the aircraft was approaching the TASEG waypoint, some 160nm south west of Bourke, when crew detected fumes in the cockpit forcing them to make use of oxygen masks.
The aircraft using callsign "Stallion 318", declared a PAN PAN (international urgency message) to Melbourne Center and indicated that they would be making an immediate descent to 10,000.
Melbourne based air traffic controllers managed the situation and when the Hercules descended below radar and radio coverage they adopted standard procedures of maintaining communications through other aircraft in the area. This was facilitated primarily with Singapore Airlines flight 232, a Boeing 777-300 enroute from Sydney for Singapore.
Richard Dudley, spokesman for Airservices Australia, stated that "as a result of fumes in the cockpit the flight crew had decided to discontinue their flight to Darwin and divert".
"The crew requested medical services only for their arrival. They arrived safely at Cunnamulla in south west Queensland around 2.00pm local time." he said.
It is believed that all crew were safe and uninjured as a result of the fumes and did not require any medical treatment.
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OzFlight.com.au