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Mark Baker/AP
Bursting Oxygen Bottle Caused Qantas Scare
by
Rachel Balik
Investigators say that an oxygen cylinder exploded on board a Qantas jet last month, tearing a hole in the plane and forcing an emergency landing.
30-Second Summary
Investigators have confirmed that an exploding oxygen cylinder caused the explosion that tore a hole in the fueselage of a Qantas jet last month. They don't know why the cylinder exploded, and answers will be difficult to come by, since the tank cannot be found. Investigations will contine, but without essential evidence they should prove difficult. Julian Walsh, acting executive director of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, said, "Let's not underestimate how difficult it will be for us to get to the bottom of this." Questions about the airline's safety standards are being raised.
Although no one on board was injured, oxygen masks did not come down for many of the passengers, raising concerns about the airline’s safety inspections. One passenger reported that the man in front of him had to forcefully break open the ceiling panel in order to get his oxygen mask, and that many children did not have one. "Their cheeks and lips were turning blue from lack of oxygen,” he said.
Meanwhile, senior Qantas employees have expressed fears that lower safety standards are to blame. In order to cut costs, plane maintenance checks have been outsourced to Malaysia. “Qantas outsourcing maintenance to Malaysia is certainly worrying a lot of us pilots. There has been aircraft come back with dodgy staples to secure wiring,” a senior Qantas pilot said.
Although no one on board was injured, oxygen masks did not come down for many of the passengers, raising concerns about the airline’s safety inspections. One passenger reported that the man in front of him had to forcefully break open the ceiling panel in order to get his oxygen mask, and that many children did not have one. "Their cheeks and lips were turning blue from lack of oxygen,” he said.
Meanwhile, senior Qantas employees have expressed fears that lower safety standards are to blame. In order to cut costs, plane maintenance checks have been outsourced to Malaysia. “Qantas outsourcing maintenance to Malaysia is certainly worrying a lot of us pilots. There has been aircraft come back with dodgy staples to secure wiring,” a senior Qantas pilot said.
Headline Link: 'Probe reveals oxygen bottle burst on Qantas flight'
The explosion of a 26-pound oxygen cylinder is to blame for creating the gaping hole that forced a Qantas jet to make an emergency landing last month. Because the exploded cylinder fell out of the hole and into the ocean, investigators are unable to determine the cause of the explosion. Julian Walsh, acting executive director of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, said, "There's nothing at this stage that the ATSB can identify that could have been done to prevent this because we don't really know why the bottle failed—and that's the key question for the investigation." The cartridge had passed safety inspection, and investigators plan to look at other cylinders produced in the same 1991 batch.
Source: International Herald Tribune
Background: Qantas jet forced into emergency landing
A hole measuring 2.5 to three meters in diameter and spanning both the cargo hold and the passenger area of a Qantas jet forced the aircraft into an emergency landing. The Australian aircraft was traveling from Hong Kong to Melbourne and landed in the Philippines. Passengers reported hearing a bang that one passenger said sounded "like a tire exploding, but more violently."
Source: CNN.com
Opinion & Analysis: Pilot blames outsourcing
A senior Qantas pilot has come forward to suggest that the hole in the 747 was the result of poor maintenance checks. Quantas outsources some of its maintenance to Malaysia as a way to cut costs. “It has been talked about a lot here and we have been told to be extra vigilant when you walk around the aircraft,” the pilot said. Although authorities believe the hole was the result of an explosion and not corrosion, the plane did suffer from corrosion earlier this year.
Source: LiveNews
Related Topic: Airlines accused of compromising safety to cut costs
In March, the FAA accused Southwest Airlines of flying airplanes without conducting the required fuselage inspections. The FAA said the airline did not examine planes for fatigue-related cracks, and then used the uninspected planes for almost 1,500 more flights, even after realizing the planes hadn’t been checked. All but $200,000 of the proposed $10.2 million penalty is connected with those later flights.
Source: findingDulcinea
Pilot fatigue is another issue at work in airline safety. Although the FAA recognizes that pilot fatigue is a concern, the organization has done little to limit the number of flight hours. Meanwhile, airlines want to avoid regulations that would decrease their revenues.
Source: findingDulcinea
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