Source: Radio Australia Author: 07/30/2008
Subject Concerned: Government Aircraft Aircrew Airlines
Australian air safety investigators have confirmed an oxygen tank was responsible for an explosion which caused a mid-air emergency on a Qantas 747 flying from Hong Kong to Melbourne last week.
The jet was forced to make an emergency landing in Manila after the blast blew a large hole in the fuselage.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau's (ATSB) Julian Walsh says preliminary investigations reveal an oxygen tank shot up from the cargo bay, through the cabin and into the ceiling.
The tank hit the handle on an exit door.
"I think it's fair to say for something to penetrate the floor and to move the handle, that component was travelling at some significant speed," he said.
Radio Australia's reporter, Siobhan Heanue, says investigators also found a small number of oxygen masks in the plane did not deploy.
"The team found that most of the oxygen masks had deployed correctly from the passenger modules and had been pulled to activate the flow of oxygen to the mask," the ATSB said in a statement.
"Only a small number of masks appeared to have had the elastic retaining strap adjusted by the passengers.
"It also appears that a small number of masks did not deploy from the passenger modules.
"Investigations into this aspect of the accident are continuing."
The bureau says it intends to interview Qantas cabin crew and passengers who encountered problems with their oxygen masks.
The ATSB has also confirmed that the Qantas flight crew handled the situation well.
"From the evidence gathered to date it appears that the flight crew have responded to and managed the emergency situation extremely well," the statement said.
"It is apparent that they followed the procedures they have trained for in simulators, which ensured the best possible outcome for the aircraft, the passengers and crew."
The ATSB is asking any passengers who managed to photograph or video the in flight drama to come forward.