Sydney - Australian airline Qantas confirmed Tuesday that a
mechanical fault forced a Melbourne-bound Boeing 737 to return to
Adelaide but said talk of a second safety scare was overblown.
The left-side wheel-bay door failed to retract fully on Flight 692
on Monday and the pilot followed standard procedure in returning to
Adelaide.
'There was no safety risk at any time,' Qantas spokeswoman Sophia
Connolly said.
A Civil Aviation Safety Authority spokesman said the plane could
have continued on its journey with no problem but that it was
standard procedure when a fault was found for the pilot to land at
the nearest airport.
The safety scare follows on from Friday's emergency landing in
Manila after a Qantas Boeing 747 blew a gash in its side while flying
from Hong Kong to Melbourne.
Australians among the 346 passengers aboard Flight QF30 told of a
big bang and then a steep descent as the pilot reduced altitude to
adjust to the rapid decompression caused by the hole.
There was speculation that a high-pressure oxygen cylinder had
burst and holed the skin of the aircraft. A report from the Manila
International Airport Authority said an initial investigation
revealed there had been an 'explosive decompression' but did not
speculate on the cause.
Since its establishment in 1920, Australia's national carrier has
never lost a jet to an accident.
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