Quantas 744 Forced Landing - Fuselage Disintegration

Quantas 744 Forced Landing - Fuselage Disintegration

news.bbc.co.uk

Mr Lina said the hole was about 2.5m to 3m in diameter. He added that the flooring near the affected section gave way, exposing some of the cargo below, and part of the ceiling also collapsed.

(visit the link for the full news article)

It might seem like an understatement, but this is serious! It sounds like structural failure of the fuselage.

I hope the 744 doesn't have a design/fatigue problem.

It could result in all 744s world-wide being grounded whilst this is investigated.

At least they managed to get it down safely.

news.bbc.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

747-400.

Looks like it took a panel right off. Decompression due to metal fatigue? Loading door?
It'd be interesting to find out how many hours are logged on the airframe.

Yeah, this has been the number one news story on our MSM TV bulletins tonight.

They just showed some video taken by a passenger and also some still pictures of the damage with the plane grounded at Manilla.

It's amazing no one was killed.

Freakish luck. The flying kangaroo still has a perfect safety record?

www.news.com.au...

www.theage.com.au...


www.theage.com.au...

newsimg.bbc.co.uk...

^^ piccies

according to the techs on pprune , located in that section is the cluster of main oxygen bottles and also the main fire retardant bottles.

[edit on 25/7/08 by Harlequin]

Is this the same aircraft involved in an overrun nine years ago?

aviation-safety.net...

www.airdisaster.com...

It'd be nice to see a pic with a view of the reg from the recent mishap.

reply to post by tezzajw


If you see the video again could you look for a shot of the reg? It should be under the Australian flag and windows, just behind the wing root. It will read VH ??? Probably VH-OJ*letter.

I prey they dont ground the fleet, im flying to hiroshima friday...
Strange, you can see luggage in one of the pics..

If it was a structural defect, surely by now it would of occured, these are older planes...

I dont think something hit it from the outside, because its to clean a seperation...

whats the chances something in someones luggage maybe burst? or popped forcing pressure directly outwards on that specific spot?

... these are all reaches.. but the way the edges are torn on that pic... it doesnt make much sense in explaining how it occured.

Originally posted by tezzajw
Yeah, this has been the number one news story on our MSM TV bulletins tonight.

They just showed some video taken by a passenger and also some still pictures of the damage with the plane grounded at Manilla.

It's amazing no one was killed.
Freakish luck. The flying kangaroo still has a perfect safety record?

Yeah still no deaths from a Qantas flight.
I think some credit should go to the pilot too.

I hope this isn't related to the recent strikes by the Qantas engineers.

Article here www.news.com.au...

[edit on 25-7-2008 by Chadwickus]

Quantus 744 reg number VH-OJK

from feb:

Received this evening from sources serious corrosion issues have been detected on QF's VH-OJK while undergoing maintenance at AVALON. This is the first aircraft to under go cabin reconfiguration with the all NEW Premium Y/C cabin. Sources tell me the launch date has further slipped once to 5th of March operating the QF001 SYD-BKK-LHR route...
Let's keep our finger's crossed and hope -OJK recovers from her plastic surgery!

Originally posted by _Del_
If you see the video again could you look for a shot of the reg?

I just saw a similar video on another MSM Zombie channel. No shot of the registration number.

I hope this QF30 flight is easier to identify than the alleged planes that allegedly hit some towers years ago.

At least we won't be waiting for a NIST report to know why the panel was torn away.

I'll keep watching the zombie news, in case it shows. We'll know which plane it is shortly though.

reply to post by _Del_


My son and I thought this but Bangkok overrun was VH-OJH this plane was according to the markings on nose gear hatch VH-OJK

Figured it would make sense to post the images here as oppose to just say or describe what we saw in em.

Received this evening from sources serious corrosion issues have been detected on QF's VH-OJK while undergoing maintenance at AVALON.

Defiantly looks like we are dealing with metal fatigue of some sort. So makes sense to be looking at a cutaway to see the area in question. From close us there is no scorch markings so defiantly not terrorist as mentioned early in the thread. From the looks of the rivets and so on it looks almost as though the bottom part of the outer panel failed and the was pulled away from the aircraft ripping a hole in the haul.



Also looks like Flight Global is covering this pretty well - link:
www.flightglobal.com...


[edit on 25-7-2008 by Canada_EH]

reply to post by Canada_EH


I would have to agree that it looks like metal fatigue to me. The fairing for the wing root failed and took a chunk of the inner fueselage with it. Its big, but if your going to have something happen, the wing root and box are pretty robust structures and can withstand that type of force.

Its altitude at FL29 rules out a bird strike so Im betting its metal fatigue.

We may see an AWD soon on this

Yes, I'll agree with the above posters, definitely looks like metal fatigue to me. At that altitude would it have just got to it or would it have been maintaining it by that point of the flight? If it wasn't ascending but level it seems slightly strange for a failure then but if it was still ascending it makes sense.

And one more thing, AWD?

The first seven pages of this morning's newspaper are all about this incident.

Engineers are investigating that there were reports of a 'a lot' of corrosion when the same plane was overhauled earlier at Avalon airport.

They're also not sure if the hole was also caused due to an exploding oxygen tank or fire extinguisher.

One small article said that 'terrorism' will not be ruled out, but it's unlikely. We can't forget the terrorists now, can we? We still invisible people to blame!

Australian Defense Experts Targeted By Airline Bomb Over Pacific
By: Sorcha Faal, and as reported to her Western Subscribers

“Passengers who talked to the media at the airport described hearing an explosion and then oxygen masks were released...as the cabin’s floor gave way, exposing some of the cargo beneath and part of the ceiling collapsed.”

www.whatdoesitmean.com...

Jet touches down in Manila after mysterious 'explosive decompression'

MANILA, Philippines - The 346 passengers were cruising at 29,000 feet Friday when an explosive bang shook the Qantas jumbo jet. The plane descended rapidly. Oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling as debris flew through the cabin from a hole that had suddenly appeared in the floor.

www.msnbc.msn.com...

Qantas 747 terror could have been caused by bomb, say aviation experts

The hole blown in the side of the Boeing 747 on flight from London to Melbourne, could have been caused by an explosive device or a damaged fuselage, according to aviation experts.

Passengers on the flight have described their terror after a panel on the side of the aircraft was ripped off in midair, blowing a hole in the fuselage.

Qantas flight QF30, with 300 passengers and crew on board, plunged 20,000ft after the missing panel caused an "explosive" depressurisation.

David Learmount, Safety Editor at Flight International Magazine, said: "It's possible there was some kind of explosive device in the suitcases. There's a hole where there shouldn't be."

Expert View
It’s possible that there was some kind of explosive device in the suitcases because there’s a hole where there shouldn’t be

www.timesonline.co.uk...


Now I don't see how a suggestion of a 'possible beam weapon' is "off topic" however I will drop that... other than to note I consider it censorship

He said the hole had exposed some bags in the hold which are usually contained in metal containers. "It's interesting to see them - how else could that be if not an explosion? Bags are moved about quite roughly in the hold and the plane was built in 1991 so it has seen a lot of action. If damage was done to the fuselage over a period of time a crack could have developed...weakening to the point where it was blown out."

www.timesonline.co.uk...

Investigators will also want to see if something like a gas cylinder exploded or that something broke for whatever reason.