A Qantas Airbus A330-300 - the same class of jet as the Air France plane which plunged into the Atlantic three weeks ago - dived dramatically over Asia today, injuring at least seven passengers.

The drama on board QF68, en route from Hong Kong to Perth in Western Australia, terrified passengers as the plane suddenly plunged, resulting in several passengers hitting the ceiling.

None of the injuries was said to be serious, but passengers were shaken by the experience as the jet was flying over Borneo.
Qantas Airbus A330-300

Plunge: The Qantas jet dived as it crossed Asia, injuring seven passengers. It was the same class of jet as the Air France plane which crashed three weeks ago. File picture of Airbus model A330-300

Passengers, crew and loose articles were thrown towards the ceiling as the aircraft suddenly dropped, an experience that some likened to 'falling into a hole'.

One of the people to hit the ceiling was mother Vicky Richards, from Rockingham, south of Perth, who was with a group of family and friends returning from a holiday in Hong Kong.

Miss Elsie Hudson, who was part of the group, said Vicky was not wearing a seat belt when the aircraft ran into heavy turbulence.


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'There was this massive drop and Vicky who was with us, didn't have a seat belt on, hit the roof, the console, and she actually cracked it and took one of the light covers off,' said Miss Hudson.

'She was in a lot of pain in the end,' Miss Hudson told The Australian when the plane landed. 'Her headache progressed worse and worse and her neck got worse and worse and by the end she couldn't move.'

Miss Richards was taken to hospital with suspected head and neck injuries.

Miss Hudson said the captain, Paul Flack, informed passengers as they were landing in Perth that the Airbus had run into a storm which the radars had not picked up.

Air France wreckage

Workers unload debris of the crashed Air France Flight 447 from the Brazilian Navy's Constitution Frigate, northeast of Brazil last week

'He said because of the temperature issue, crystals sometimes form on the instruments that pick up the radars, that pick up the clouds.

'Apparently it didn't pick it up until they were in it.'

Another man received a cut on his head when he hit the ceiling. Other passengers not wearing seat belts were also thrown from their seats.

Although a storm is being blamed for the sudden plunge, air safety investigators have begun a thorough inquiry, aware that the aircraft is the same type as the doomed Air France jet.

'It was a severe meteorological incident,' said Mr David Epstein, Qantas' corporate affairs manager.

Virgin Atlantic just ordered more of the deathtraps.

robert99 wrote:

Virgin Atlantic just ordered more of the deathtraps.

he can order a many as he likes but I will never sit my arsehole in one - even for a relatively short hop

Why would anyone set foot on a scarebus?

ibigmang wrote:

Why would anyone set foot on a scarebus?

I can only assume that it is like a drug - it's the thrill of it - so they can wear one of those fucking "I flew Airpig and survived" 'T'shirts - fucking stupid sods

I can only assume that it is like a drug - it's the thrill of it - so they can wear one of those fucking "I flew Airpig and survived" 'T'shirts - fucking stupid sods

Russian Roullette comes to mind. I can't see why they just don't stick a revolver with a single cartridge in it to their heads and pull the trigger. Who needs a 35000 foot plunge right before they die.

Rainman would not be pleased

I can't see why they just don't stick a revolver with a single cartridge in it to their heads and pull the trigger. Who needs a 35000 foot plunge right before they die.

Flying on ScareBus is more like playing Russian Roulette with a Semi-Auto, not a revolver.

Again.

airbus really doesn't care about people's lives.

Something has to be done before there's another catastrophe.

ibigmang wrote:

Why would anyone set foot on a scarebus?

Because Luftwaffe does not fly Boeings to Europe and I have got no other way of getting there except flying thru Pareeeee.

I was forced to fly on a United Boeing 767 junk truck service last summer, all the paint was missing from the nose and a broken door seal whistled all the way across the Atlantic. Nice huh?

airbus really doesn't care about people's lives.

Of course not. If they did, they'd stop making airplanes.

A passenger said it was like falling out of a 30 story building with panels ripping off the ceiling.

Fuck that shit. Deathtrap? Thrill ride? You can have it.

They should just put fucking body bags where the life jackets usually go.

They should just put fucking body bags where the life jackets usually go.

LMFAO!! Last K of the day.

"This is your captain speaking, we expect to fly through a little routine turbulence in a few minutes. Since it is highly likely that the tail assembly of this ScareBus A330 aircraft will detach itself, we request that you climb into the body bag located under the seat in front of you. This will not only make it easier for rescue teams to return your body to your family for proper burial, but will reduce carbon emissions when your carcass decomposes.

AirFrance will charge your credit card $10.00. We thank you for flying AirFrance and it's award winning line of ScareBus aircraft.

Oh, and those red white and blue things below you are not the flight crew in parachutes. Now sit back and enjoy your flight."

In 1987 I flew over the Great Storm that flattened a great swathe through Britanny and England. On the way to Barbados in a 747 [Boeing Jumbo], we were strapped in for 4-5 hours. It was a white knuckle, rollercoaster ride and the cabin crew were also strapped in. There was no food or drink as it was too dangerous to serve, and if you had any, you wouldn't have found your mouth as the fuckin' plane was jumping around so much. The Captain warned us before it happened. I don't understand how this Aussie pilot didn't see the problem coming on his radars, or out of his windscreen. I presume it must have been night time, but 22years on, hasn't technology improved? Crossing tropical Borneo you must expect a bit of turbulance. The Aussies were hyped up, proberbly 'cause of the recent disaster, and got pissed on the way, as they were in an Airbus 330. Instead of being strapped in their seats the sheilas were probably dancing around the cabin.

I think I've seen this on tv before.



Life imitates art?

Who do you think gave you mortals the idea to create Airbus?
Souls......I need more souls.

Maybe, along with the airsickness bag, they should provide a spare pair of underwear in each seat back. The soiled ones would help remind passengers of france.

Dewi_Sant wrote:

.....the captain, Paul Flack, informed passengers as they were landing in Perth that the Airbus had run into a storm which the radars had not picked up......

A load of crap. Either he ran into clear air turbulence (which is quite possible) or he he would have known he was flying into a storm.

Cut the crap please, nothing to do with Airbus or the recent accident ! It can and does happen with any airplane and this A330 went trough this undamaged by the way.
Too many idiots taking a plane now and so when turbulence happens they start to panick. Besides, always wear your seatbelt !

What a feeling...
Dancing on the ceiling...

Boeing repousse le vol d'essai du 787
AFP 23/06/2009.

L'avionneur américain Boeing a annoncé aujourd'hui qu'il repoussait une nouvelle fois le premier vol d'essai du 787 "Dreamliner", qui était censé intervenir d'ici à la fin du mois, et a indiqué qu'il faudrait "plusieurs semaines" pour déterminer le calendrier des premières livraisons de l'appareil.

So no problem for Quantas !

You'd think the stinkies would have inherited some mechanical knowhow from their german fathers, but apparently not.

Turbulence blamed for 7 in-flight injuries

PERTH, Australia, June 22 (UPI) -- Turbulence was to blame for seven injuries aboard a Qantas flight from Hong Kong to Perth, Australia, airline officials said.

Qantas officials said in a statement Flight QF68 encountered "severe turbulence" over Borneo, north of Darwin, about four hours after departing Hong Kong, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. said Tuesday, local time.

Six passengers and one crew member sustained minor injuries and were treated on board, ABC said. The flight was carrying 206 passengers and 13 crew members.

The airplane is an Airbus A330, the same type involved in the Air France jetliner crash in earlier this month that killed 228 people. It landed in Perth as scheduled.

David Epstein, director for Qantas corporate and government affairs, said the airline has confidence in the A330.

"There were no indications of any events to do with the aircraft or its systems. It appears to be purely a meteorological event," he said.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said it would investigate the incident.


© 2009 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

A non-event is always good for a no-life basher.

Doesn't Fwance produce anything of quality? Seems like most things either break down or cause injury or deaths. Only thing I have ever had decent from Fwance is a couple of sweet little females that have me numerous pleasures one night.

bloodhound wrote:

Doesn't Fwance produce anything of quality? Seems like most things either break down or cause injury or deaths. Only thing I have ever had decent from Fwance is a couple of sweet little females that have me numerous pleasures one night.

Go down from your horse jerk of Yankee and go fucking a goat, yours "balls" become red !.