Qantas to investigate plane in Philippine emergency landing

Jul 26, 2008, 5:06 GMT

Manila - Australian airline Qantas will dispatch a team to the Philippines to investigate an accident that tore the fuselage of a Boeing 747 jet carrying more than 350 people on board, officials said Saturday.

The plane made an emergency landing at the airport in Manila on Friday, with all 346 passengers and 19 crew safe despite suffering dizziness and vomiting.

Manila airport authorities said they have been informed that Qantas was sending a team of engineers and other personnel to investigate the accident, which occured while the plane was at 29,000 feet.

Octavio Lina, an airport terminal manager, said a replacement flight left Manila late Friday almost 12 hours after the near-tragic incident.

In a statement, Qantas Chief Executive Officer Geoff Dixon said the flight crew had performed emergency procedures after oxygen masks were deployed when a portion of the fuselage split and caused the plane to lose pressure.

He said initial inspections revealed the aircraft had sustained a hole in its fuselage, and it was currently being inspected by engineers.

'The Australian Transportation Safety Bureau and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority have been notified of the incident and Qantas is sending its own engineers to Manila,' Dixon said.

The plane had originated from London and was on its way to Melbourne via Hong Kong when the accident occured, leaving a gaping hole on its belly. Passengers said the incident was terrifying, and many thought it was going to be their last flight.