MANILA, Philippines – A Qantas Boeing 747 was forced to make an emergency landing in Manila yesterday after a large part of its fuselage tore off in mid-air.
Terrified passengers reported how the giant aircraft, which was flying to Melbourne from London, plunged 20,000 feet after a shuddering noise.
The mid-air rupture, whose cause remained undetermined as of press time, left a “gaping hole” in the plane’s fuselage, officials and passengers said. The aircraft was carrying 356 passengers and 19 crew. From London, the plane made a stopover in Hong Kong.
Australian ambassador to Manila Rod Smith arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport to help arrange hotel and flight accommodations for the passengers.
“There was a terrific boom, and bits of wood and debris just flew forward into first (class) and the oxygen masks dropped down,” June Kane, a passenger from Melbourne, told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
“We were told that one of the rear doors, a hole had blown into it, but I’ve since looked at the plane and there’s a gigantic gaping hole in the plane,” she said.
“It was absolutely terrifying, but I have to say everyone was very calm,” she added.
Qantas chief executive officer Geoff Dixon said initial inspection showed the aircraft had sustained a hole in its fuselage near the right wing.
He said the flight crew performed emergency procedures after oxygen masks were deployed and there were no reports of any injuries.
The Qantas flight QF 30 touched down at 11:12 a.m. and was immediately surrounded by fire trucks and ambulances from the airport rescue and emergency unit.
The aircraft came to a halt at the end of runway 24 where it remained for 30 minutes until a tow truck pulled it to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1.
A large piece of what appeared to be canvas and a red piece of insulation material stuck out of the fuselage as if pushed by an explosion from the inside.
But Angel Atutubo, airport chief of security and emergency, said they did not see any sign of burning or explosion.
An aircraft mechanic said it was fortunate that there were no control wires, hydraulic or pneumatic tubing on the right side of the aircraft, or the outcome would have been tragic.
The plane was eventually towed to the Lufthansa Technik hangar for closer examination.
Qantas’ Dixon said the Australian Transportation Safety Bureau and Civil Aviation Safety Authority had been notified of the incident.
Manila airport operations officer Ding Lima said the aircraft lost cabin pressure shortly after leaving Hong Kong for Melbourne.
“The captain of the aircraft immediately called the (Manila) control tower for an immediate landing,” Lima told local radio.
“There is a big hole in the belly of the aircraft near the right wing about three meters in diameter,” he added.
Flight QF30 was due to arrive in Melbourne at 11:45 a.m. if there was no accident.
Lorena Dimaya, a Qantas assistant supervisor in Manila, said the incident had not been life threatening.
She said the plane had taken off from Hong Kong when it “encountered some technical problems and requested to be diverted to Manila, where it made an emergency landing.”
Passenger Kane said the problem seemed to center on the baggage compartment of the plane.
“I’m looking at the plane now and on the left-hand side, just forward of the wing, there’s a gaping hole from the wing to the underbody,” she said.
“It’s about two meters by four meters and there’s baggage hanging out so you assume that there’s a few bags that may have gone missing,” she said.
Tamara Reinisch said the experience was nerve shattering. “That’s terrible. I heard a big bang, people are crying, babies are screaming and many were grappling how to put on the oxygen mask,” she said.
“We were at 30,000 feet and I wonder how we would be able to get down,” she said.
“It’s surreal, it was like a dream,” White said of his experience.
Anthony Maher, who was traveling with his wife Rachel and two-year-old daughter, said he heard a loud noise “like a door opening.”
“There was a loud explosion right behind my feet and I was seated at 26 K on the same side where the explosion was. Some debris came flying towards me. It’s very, very frightening but it seems okay and I think the pilot was in control,” Linda Penecoat said.
Crew praised
“We heard a very large bang, the oxygen masks came out. But the crew was very calm and everything was fine,” said Phil Rescall, a 40-year-old man from England traveling to Australia for work. “I think we were all very lucky,” he said.
“The crew were terrific, they did a great job,” another passenger, Brendan McClements, said. “Everyone gave them a round of applause as we landed,” he said.
“People will guess for ages,” Capt. John Francis Bartels said when asked by one of the passengers what caused the accident. “Job well done!” some passengers shouted at the pilot.
Another English passenger, Robin McGeechan, 42, said that despite the bang there was little panic.
“There was no warning, just a big bang and then there was depressurization of the cabin and the oxygen masks dropped,” he said.
“The engines of the plane never stopped running. So I did not think the damage was serious,” he said. “We thought we could just set down and then take off again,” he said.
“We were told a door had popped. We only realized that there was a great big hole in the plane after we landed,” McGeechan added.
The stranded passengers were booked at the Sofitel and Heritage hotels while waiting for another Qantas flight that was to arrive at 9 p.m. with AP