Qantas investigators confirm cause
Wednesday, 30 Jul 2008 09:55
Air accident investigators have confirmed that an exploding oxygen tank was the cause of last week's
close call on Qantas Flight 30.
Julian Walsh, director of aviation safety at the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), announced the results of investigations to reporters.
He said: "The ATSB can confirm that it appears that part of an oxygen cylinder and valve entered the passenger cabin and impacted [the handle of an external door]."
A three-metre hole then opened up in the aircraft's fuselage, causing cabin depressurisation.
The Australian airline's woes have continued with several more incidents occurring in the past few days.
On Sunday night a Boeing 737-800 had to be towed from the runway to the terminal after a hydraulics failure during landing at Brisbane.
On Monday a Qantas domestic flight returned to its Adelaide base after doors did not close properly over the front wheel bay following take-off.
And back on the ground at their Sydney base, Qantas was having problems with a new baggage check-in system yesterday, with angry passengers and flight delays the result.
The airline, which prides itself on its outstanding safety record, has come under fire in recent times for outsourcing its aircraft maintenance programme.