Wirraway
2nd Mar 2004, 13:17
www.news.com.au
Fear flight aboard troubled Qantas jet
By Sue Bailey
March 2, 2004
TASMANIAN passengers last night told of their terror aboard a Hobart bound Qantas flight which was forced to return to Melbourne yesterday because of an airconditioning problem.
Three Incat employees, who were returning with two colleagues to Hobart after working in Spain, were upset that the 115 passengers were give few details of the malfunction.
They said the plane "dropped like a stone and leaned over" before turning around.
Qantas said flight QF 1653 returned to Melbourne shortly after takeoff.
A spokeswoman said it landed safely after the airconditioning system became unserviceable during the flight.
As a precaution, fire trucks were on standby when the Boeing 717 landed.
Mechanical fitter Keyran Cornish, of Hobart, last night was still recovering from the ordeal.
"I don't think I've ever been that scared in my life," Mr Cornish said.
"I was completely terrified until the wheels touched the ground."
Mr Cornish said the plane dropped considerably and passengers were left wondering what was happening. Rigger Darren Bradshaw, of South Arm, said: "The three hostesses seemed to panic and they gathered up all the breakfasts and put them straight in a garbage bag and poured out the coffee."
"You could feel the cabin pressure change and we circled the airport for ages.
"Everyone was pretty anxious and two women were crying.
"When we landed there were five fire trucks there ready for us."
Electrical technician Ian Bennett, of Huonville, said he was not as worried as his colleagues but knew something was amiss because of the reaction of the cabin crew.
"The most disturbing thing was that for about 15 minutes they didn't tell us what was happening," Mr Bennett said.
"It was a bit off-putting and didn't look that flash for a while."
The Incat workers were also disappointed that Qantas offered passengers $6 vouchers to compensate for the inconvenience.
The flight arrived in Hobart nearly four hours late.
The Mercury
===========================================
Fear flight aboard troubled Qantas jet
By Sue Bailey
March 2, 2004
TASMANIAN passengers last night told of their terror aboard a Hobart bound Qantas flight which was forced to return to Melbourne yesterday because of an airconditioning problem.
Three Incat employees, who were returning with two colleagues to Hobart after working in Spain, were upset that the 115 passengers were give few details of the malfunction.
They said the plane "dropped like a stone and leaned over" before turning around.
Qantas said flight QF 1653 returned to Melbourne shortly after takeoff.
A spokeswoman said it landed safely after the airconditioning system became unserviceable during the flight.
As a precaution, fire trucks were on standby when the Boeing 717 landed.
Mechanical fitter Keyran Cornish, of Hobart, last night was still recovering from the ordeal.
"I don't think I've ever been that scared in my life," Mr Cornish said.
"I was completely terrified until the wheels touched the ground."
Mr Cornish said the plane dropped considerably and passengers were left wondering what was happening. Rigger Darren Bradshaw, of South Arm, said: "The three hostesses seemed to panic and they gathered up all the breakfasts and put them straight in a garbage bag and poured out the coffee."
"You could feel the cabin pressure change and we circled the airport for ages.
"Everyone was pretty anxious and two women were crying.
"When we landed there were five fire trucks there ready for us."
Electrical technician Ian Bennett, of Huonville, said he was not as worried as his colleagues but knew something was amiss because of the reaction of the cabin crew.
"The most disturbing thing was that for about 15 minutes they didn't tell us what was happening," Mr Bennett said.
"It was a bit off-putting and didn't look that flash for a while."
The Incat workers were also disappointed that Qantas offered passengers $6 vouchers to compensate for the inconvenience.
The flight arrived in Hobart nearly four hours late.
The Mercury
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