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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/3160329/Qantas-jet-plunge-passengers-to-be-interviewed-over-laptop-use.html
Qantas jet plunge passengers to be interviewed over laptop use
All passengers on board the Qantas jet that nose-dived in mid air, injuring more than 50 people, are to be questioned about whether they were using electronic equipment.
By Nick Squires
Last Updated: 4:37PM BST 10 Oct 2008
Investigators believe that electromagnetic waves from laptops or handheld computer games could have interfered with the Airbus A330-300's autopilot, although the cause of the accident is still to be determined.
Flight QF72 was flying at 37,000 feet over the Indian Ocean from Singapore to Perth when it suddenly plunged thousands of feet, hurling unbuckled passengers against the cabin roof.
The plane was forced to make an emergency landing at an air force base near Exmouth in Western Australia when it became clear that there were serious injuries on board.
Emergency services treated 51 passengers and crew for broken bones, cuts and serious spinal injuries. Around a dozen of the seriously injured were flown to Perth for treatment, while Qantas planes were sent to collect the remaining passengers, many of whom were treated locally.
The passengers included 131 Australians, 53 Britons, 40 Indians and 38 Singaporeans.
The cause of the accident, which came as the crew tried to correct a reported fault in the aircraft's elevator control system, is being investigated by the the Air Transport Safety Bureau, with a computer problem considered a more likely explanation than air turbulence or human error.
"The aircraft departed normal flight and climbed 300 feet," said Julian Walsh, director of aviation safety with the ATSB.
"The aircraft did that of its own accord and then, whilst the crew were doing the normal actions in response to that not normal situation, the aircraft then pitched down suddenly and quite rapidly," he said.
Passengers whose belts were not buckled, including babies and young children, were thrown against the cabin roof, smashing into roof panels and luggage lockers.
"It was horrendous, absolutely gruesome, terrible, the worst experience of my life," said Jim Ford, of Perth, who said he thought he was going to die.
There were reports of people being pinned against the roof of the cabin as the passenger jet hurtled a reported 6,000 ft towards the ground.
"Children and babies who weren't buckled in hit the ceiling," said one man. Another passenger, Mark Bell, said: 'The poor little kid next to us, we watched him hit the ceiling and sit there for about three seconds until his dad dragged him back into his seat." Qantas once had a reputation as the safest airline in the world. But this latest incident is the fourth involving its planes in two-and-a-half months.
It came as a survey published on Tuesday showed that 63 per cent of Australians believe the safety standards of their flag carrier have slipped. The survey was conducted two weeks before the latest drama.
In July an exploding oxygen bottle punched a huge hole in the side of a Qantas Boeing 747-400 during a flight from Hong Kong to Melbourne, forcing an emergency landing in the Philippines. No one was injured in the mid-air drama.
Just three days later, a Qantas Boeing 737-800 returned to Adelaide after a landing gear door failed to retract. And in early August, a Boeing 767 bound for Manila turned back to Sydney after developing a hydraulic fluid leak.
Investigators have removed the aircraft's black box flight recorders to establish the cause of the incident, Qantas said.
The investigation could take up to six months, but a preliminary report could be ready within 30 days.
Qantas jet plunge passengers to be interviewed over laptop use
All passengers on board the Qantas jet that nose-dived in mid air, injuring more than 50 people, are to be questioned about whether they were using electronic equipment.
By Nick Squires
Last Updated: 4:37PM BST 10 Oct 2008
Investigators believe that electromagnetic waves from laptops or handheld computer games could have interfered with the Airbus A330-300's autopilot, although the cause of the accident is still to be determined.
Flight QF72 was flying at 37,000 feet over the Indian Ocean from Singapore to Perth when it suddenly plunged thousands of feet, hurling unbuckled passengers against the cabin roof.
The plane was forced to make an emergency landing at an air force base near Exmouth in Western Australia when it became clear that there were serious injuries on board.
Emergency services treated 51 passengers and crew for broken bones, cuts and serious spinal injuries. Around a dozen of the seriously injured were flown to Perth for treatment, while Qantas planes were sent to collect the remaining passengers, many of whom were treated locally.
The passengers included 131 Australians, 53 Britons, 40 Indians and 38 Singaporeans.
The cause of the accident, which came as the crew tried to correct a reported fault in the aircraft's elevator control system, is being investigated by the the Air Transport Safety Bureau, with a computer problem considered a more likely explanation than air turbulence or human error.
"The aircraft departed normal flight and climbed 300 feet," said Julian Walsh, director of aviation safety with the ATSB.
"The aircraft did that of its own accord and then, whilst the crew were doing the normal actions in response to that not normal situation, the aircraft then pitched down suddenly and quite rapidly," he said.
Passengers whose belts were not buckled, including babies and young children, were thrown against the cabin roof, smashing into roof panels and luggage lockers.
"It was horrendous, absolutely gruesome, terrible, the worst experience of my life," said Jim Ford, of Perth, who said he thought he was going to die.
There were reports of people being pinned against the roof of the cabin as the passenger jet hurtled a reported 6,000 ft towards the ground.
"Children and babies who weren't buckled in hit the ceiling," said one man. Another passenger, Mark Bell, said: 'The poor little kid next to us, we watched him hit the ceiling and sit there for about three seconds until his dad dragged him back into his seat." Qantas once had a reputation as the safest airline in the world. But this latest incident is the fourth involving its planes in two-and-a-half months.
It came as a survey published on Tuesday showed that 63 per cent of Australians believe the safety standards of their flag carrier have slipped. The survey was conducted two weeks before the latest drama.
In July an exploding oxygen bottle punched a huge hole in the side of a Qantas Boeing 747-400 during a flight from Hong Kong to Melbourne, forcing an emergency landing in the Philippines. No one was injured in the mid-air drama.
Just three days later, a Qantas Boeing 737-800 returned to Adelaide after a landing gear door failed to retract. And in early August, a Boeing 767 bound for Manila turned back to Sydney after developing a hydraulic fluid leak.
Investigators have removed the aircraft's black box flight recorders to establish the cause of the incident, Qantas said.
The investigation could take up to six months, but a preliminary report could be ready within 30 days.
