Safety Problems




Qantas Grounds all A380s over fuel leaks and steering problems
From: Sydney Morning Herald (more at: www.smh.com) Posted March 13, 2009

All three of Qantas's much-hyped A380 aircraft have been grounded over the past four days due to
recurring problems with the plane's fuel tank systems.  It has emerged that the airline's three A380
are grounded at Sydney airport after experiencing similar problems. The airline's flagship, the
Nancy-Bird Walton, was delayed in Sydney for 19 hours on Saturday.  However, on arrival at
Heathrow airport it was again found to be leaking fuel and experienced a nose wheel ground
steering issue, being declared unserviceable.

Global probe over Dangerous software bug in Qantas flights
From: The Australian (more at: www.theaustralian.news.com.au) Posted: Jan 11th, 2009

Two unexplained Qantas malfunctions off the coast of Western Australia are attracting intense
international interest and have raised new questions about a critical aircraft component. The incidents
involved air data inertial reference units (ADIRUs) installed in two Qantas A330-300s. The first event
in early October saw false information from an ADIRU on Qantas Flight 72 prompt the flight control
computers to twice pitch the aircraft's nose downwards. The plane fell to 650ft on the first nosedive
and 400ft on the second, but this was not before 14 people were seriously injured. In the latest event,
the autopilot disconnected last week on Singapore-bound Qantas Flight 71 and the crew received a warning from a centralised
monitoring system that there was a problem with one of the ADIRUs.  A previous ADIRU malfunction in the area in 2005 involved a
software glitch in a unit made by another manufacturer.  Boeing 777s flew for almost seven years with the software error before it was
uncovered when a jet pitched up in a 3,000ft climb that brought it close to stalling.  The error then combined with a mechanical
problem to send the plane on its heart-stopping rollercoaster ride.

Qantas A-330 steering fails on Singapore flight
From ABC News (more at: wwww.abcnews.com) posted Dec. 3, 2008

A second Qantas international flight in three days has been forced to make an emergency
landing after mechanical problems.  ABC News reports an Airbus A330 en route from
Singapore to Brisbane developed a steering problem on Sunday. Ambulance and fire crews were on standby as the aircraft landed,
but ABC reports the plane appeared to touch down safely. The plane was carrying 247 passengers and crew.

Qantas A-330 jet Plunges 2000 feet - 70 Passengers & Crew Injured
From The Herald Sun (more at: Heraldsun.com.au) posted Nov.28, 2008

An accident that sent a Qantas passenger jet plunging earthwards yesterday, injuring passengers and crew,
15 seriously, and forcing the pilot to make an emergency landing. Flight 72 was en route from Singapore to Perth
carrying 303 passengers about 3pm local time when it suddenly lost altitude. The crew made a mayday call, and the
A330 aircraft made an emergency landing at Learmonth airport, a former military airstrip, 1250 kilometres north of Perth. Captain Ian
Woods said the QF72 plunged 2000 feet over Western Australia yesterday. Australian investigators have said that a faulty
stabilisation system was behind a Qantas jet losing altitude on Tuesday. Officials from the Air Transport Safety Bureau said on
Wednesday that warning signals went off after the problem was detected in the system that helps keep the plane stable and level
during flight. Pilots were in the midst of addressing the problem when the plane dived, according to the preliminary finding. On
Tuesday the airliner carrying 303 passengers and 10 crew members from Singapore to Perth lost altitude and plunged, tossing
unbelted passengers to the ceiling and injuring more than 70 people.The Airbus A330-300 was forced to land at an airfield near
Learmonth in Western Australia after issuing a distress call.

Qantas Door Jam on Dash-8 problem plane - 100 Melbourne people stranded
From: Aviation Record (more at: www.aviationrecord.com) Posted Nov. 25, 2008

About 100 Qantas passengers were stranded at Launceston and Melbourne airports on the 20th, because of a damaged aircraft
door.  Passengers on the QantasLink flight had to wait several hours when the 5pm Melbourne-bound flight was cancelled. They were
told that the de Havilland DHC-8 (Dash-8) plane was deemed unfit to fly and alternative flights had to be arranged, reports the Sydney
Morning Herald.  One passenger said they sat and waited for five more hours for the rescheduled flights. [Note: the Dash-8 plane has
been plagued with problems including landing gear failiure, leading SAS Airlines to remove all Dash-8s from its fleet. Qantas has
decided to continue to use the plane despite landing gear failiure on Feb. 20, 2008] More at:
Qantas Dash-8: Landing Gear Fails on Plane

Qantas Bus crash - 7 passengers injured
From: Canberra Times (more at: www.canberratimes.com.au) Posted Oct. 15, 2008

Seven people received injuries today when a Qantas bus swerved to avoid an accident with another vehicle at Sydney Airport.
The bus was transferring passengers between the international and domestic terminals about 8.30am (AEDT) when the incident
occurred, a Qantas spokesman said. A NSW Ambulance Service spokesman said seven emergency vehicles with 12 paramedics
treated the injured. Four injured passengers were taken to the St George and Prince of Wales hospitals, three with neck pain and
suspected spinal injuries.

No passengers security screened- Qantas Security fails twice in a week
From: Security Info Watch (more at: www.securityinfowatch.com) posted October 3, 2008

Qantas says it is embarrassed by two security breaches at its Brisbane Airport terminal in one week. The top floor of the Brisbane
domestic terminal was evacuated last night after a number of people walked through a Qantas screening area without being checked.
Passengers who had already boarded planes were forced to disembark and return to the security screening areas. Flights were
delayed by up to two hours. It is the second such incident at the Qantas terminal in a week. Qantas spokesman Geoff Askew says
plans are in place to redesign check points. "This was an error there's no mistake about that we erred and we will take remedial
action," Mr Askew said.The Brisbane Airport Corporation's Rebecca McConachie says they are working with Qantas to improve its
security."We'll be working closely with them to make sure that these issues are addressed," she said.

Massive Delays - Qantas: Security hi-jack alarm a “misunderstanding”:
From: ABC News (www.abc.net.au) and Sky News (skynews.com.au) Posted April 13, 2008

A mix-up in an exchange between the cockpit and the control tower has been blamed for an alert at Melbourne Airport on Friday night.
It's believed that shortly after the flight took off the pilot inadvertently used the code word for a hijacking when he communicated with
the control tower  The flight was travelling from Adelaide to Melbourne on Friday night. The plane was delayed on landing in
Melbourne, after Australian Federal Police were notified of an incident onboard. A spokesman for Qantas says the incident was the
result of a “misunderstanding” between the pilot and the control tower. Dozens of passengers were delayed on the unscheduled hold
up in Melbourne.

Boeing Steps in to protect Qantas Passengers
Posted: April 1, 2008 (more at: www.marketwatch.com)

After many quality issues and emergencies with Qantas aging 747 fleet in the last 6 months, Boeing has announced in a press
release today that it is stepping in to protect the public. As part of a Boeing’s Airplane Health Management software system, Qantas
will be monitoring its old fleet of planes to “evaluate critical in-flight data on the real-time flying condition of its airplanes” and
“unscheduled maintenance events”.  Earlier this month, Qantas scrapped its $40 million failed, engineering and maintenance platform
Jetsmart, which has been labeled “Dumbjet” by Qantas engineering staff.

Qantas major Safety problems with 14 of the 747 planes
From: AAP (Posted Mar. 31, 2008)

Qantas has a safety problem with 14 of its Boeing 747 "jumbo jets", an Australian Transport Safety Bureau review has found. The
airline inspected 30 of its 747s following electrical problems on a flight from London to Bangkok. The aircraft was carrying 346
passengers and 19 crew and was flying at about 21,000 feet (6400m) on descent in to Bangkok when the customer service manager
notified the flight crew that a substantial water leak had occurred in the forward galley. Cockpit indications showed a number of
electrical failures over the next 12 to 13 minutes. Qantas subsequently found problems with 14 of its 747s, the safety bureau said
today in its first report into the incident. The flying kangaroo "carried out a fleet inspection of 747-400 drip shields and made
temporary repairs of any cracks found during those inspections," the report said. "The operator identified cracks in the drip shields of
14 out of 30 aircraft inspected." The bureau also said the incident, which was given wide media coverage, was not as much of a
concern as first thought. "The event was less serious than first reported," it found. "Post-flight inspections identified a minor water leak
in the forward galley sink drain and that an ice drawer drain was blocked. "That inspection also found cracks in a fibreglass drip shield
located above an electrical component rack in the aircraft's main equipment centre, as well as evidence of dark liquid stains on the
shield. "Further inspection found that a ribbon heater on a drain line leading to the forward grey water drain mast was inoperative, and
that a length of hose on the drain line at that location was split."

Man tries to smuggle gun onto Qantas flight in Melbourne
From: Herald Sun (www.news.com.au) Posted April 1, 2008

A man tried to smuggle a gun on to a domestic flight at Melbourne airport has been charged by police. He was arrested as he tried to
hail a taxi outside the domestic terminal after screening equipment allegedly detected a pistol in his carry-on luggage Sources told the
Herald Sun the man was trying to board a plane with the loaded gun. A Qantas spokesman said the airline could not comment. Two
men were arrested by Australian Federal Police about midday on Saturday. A Tullamarine man, 45, was charged with firearm offences
and bailed to appear in the Broadmeadows Magistrates' Court today. The other was released without charge.

Qantas Pilots files formal complaint of Fatigue
By: B. Sandilands (www.crikey.com.au) Posted Mar. 21, 2008

Qantas pilots have sought an urgent definition -- on safety grounds -- of flight duty hours in an overnight filing with the Civil Aviation
Safety Authority’s Industry Complaints Commissioner, Michael Hart.  It is a very straightforward issue. Since 2005, Australian carriers
have convinced CASA that the actual duty hours limit should be calculated on block time between airports and excluding ground
duties. This allows airlines to ''legally'' roster pilots for rotations that were previously illegal. It has serious fatigue implications, and
routinely causes pilots on a transcontinental rotation to complain of inadequate rest periods. The documents are disturbing. Is CASA
there to regulate safety or help the airlines cut corners with commercially beneficial rulings that would make a trucking company blush?

Qantas pilots flag safety issues
From: The Daily Telegraph (www.news.com.au)

Pilots are concerned that commercial pressures from a takeover of Qantas may conflict with their professional standards, the
Australian and International Pilots Association (AIPA) says. AIPA general manager Peter Sommerville said today one option was to
seek to block the sale.  But he conceded the 2,500 Qantas pilots could only raise funds to buy one per cent of Qantas' shares, well
short of the nine per cent needed to halt the sale.  Mr Sommerville said the association would discuss its concerns in a meeting with
the federal government this week. There remained a fair degree of uncertainty about what the deal involved, how the new owners
would deal with employees, and whether commercial pressures might conflict with professional standards, he said. "Pilots are
particularly concerned about that (professional standards). We have been trying to talk to the consortium for a little bit of time now
without success," he told ABC radio.  "We are talking about whenever there are commercial pressures between operating safely and
making a buck, there is always a tension there and there should be a tension there.  "It's not about ... being absolutely certain and
zero risk in anything you do in life, but it's about being sensible about it." Qantas directors last week recommended acceptance of the
$5.60 a share bid, from a consortium comprising Macquarie, US private equity firm Texas Pacific Group, homegrown investment
companies Allco Equity Partners and Allco Finance Group, and Canadian buyout group Onex Corp.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is undertaking an investigation of the deal, which must meet
Australian legislative requirements including majority Australian ownership. Mr Sommerville said it was an option for pilots to seek to
block the takeover, with each contributing $50,000. "What we would prefer to do is talk to the consortium members, talk to Qantas
management and actually try to get some certainty in this situation. "However, in the alternative what we would be looking at doing is
convincing nine per cent plus one of current Qantas shareholders, mums and dads. Maybe there are some institutions out there who
do have concerns about what might be on the horizons for all of the stakeholders," he said.

Qantas wants fewer staff - Changes only after 2-stabbed in Hi-Jack attempt
From: Workers Online (workers.labor.net.au)

Airlines had been pushing hard for a reduction from one crew to 36 passengers to a crew member for every 50 customers.
Anderson appeared to be on the brink of green-lighting the proposal before a man attempted to crash Qantas Flight 1737. Armed with
filed down 15cm wooden stakes and what appeared to be a silver aerosol can, he attempted to take over the plane mid-flight. Crew
and passengers fought to overcome him, with Khan being stabbed through the neck and Hickson slashed across the face. Watkins
said the incident bore out the union's argument that crewing was a central safety issue for air travellers.
Not affilliated with Qantas airlines -
in fact, they hate us