Qantas passengers cheat death in landing drama
Eight-nine terrified passengers emerged shaken from a Qantas 727 after a crash landing last night. The drama unfolded at 11:38pm when the four engined aircraft was trying to land in a thunderstorm.
It is believed the aircraft scraped the engine on the runway damaging the propellor. Qantas officials had the aircraft towed to the far side of the airport to keep people away.
A Qantas spokesperson Belinda downplayed the incident, saying that there was a minor technical problem on landing. Passengers, however, tell a different story.
Brian Smythe, 31 from Redcliffe described the drama. "It was rough and there was all this noise and then a huge bang. I though we were going to die." He was visibly shaken and hugging his wife Linda who was too distraught to talk. "It has just ruined our holiday. I am just lucky to be alive."
This is the latest in a string of safety scares to strike the Qantas fleet over the past few years, prompting calls for a full investigation into allegations of cost cutting in the national carrier.
The Civil Aviation Authority is investigating the incident.
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See if the NT news can better that one
Sadly, they probably will.
