Hole in plane leads to emergency landing

MANILA: A Qantas Airways plane made an emergency landing in Manila yesterday after part of its undercarriage blew off, triggering a loss in cabin pressure during a flight from Hong Kong to Melbourne.

Passengers reported hearing a loud bang before the aircraft rapidly lost altitude and said the Boeing 747-400 had a hole the size of a mini-van on the right of its undercarriage when it landed in the Philippine capital.

“It was an amazing experience, but not a good one,” Glenyce Johnson, 47, told Reuters.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said QF30 made an emergency descent from 29,000 feet to 10,000 feet.

All 346 passengers and 19 crew disembarked safely. Experts from Australia were travelling to the Philippines to inspect the plane.

Thomson Reuters