Dozens hurt in mid-air turbulence
source: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/skynews/20081007/twl-dozens-hurt-in-mid-air-turbulence-3fd0ae9.html
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Thirty-three people have been injured, some with broken bones, after an Australian Airbus A330 airliner hit turbulence before making an emergency landing.
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The Qantas aircraft made an emergency landing at Learmonth airfield in the northeastern town of Exmouth.
It was carrying 303 passengers from Singapore to Australia.
The Australian Air Transport Safety Bureau said in a statement: "While cruising in level flight, the aircraft experienced a sudden in-flight upset, resulting in injuries to a number of cabin crew and passengers, primarily in the rear of the aircraft.
"The crew declared a Mayday and diverted the aircraft to Learmonth, near Exmouth ... where it landed without further incident."
Police initially described the aircraft as an airbus A320 with 370 passengers on board, but Qantas later said flight QF72 was an A330-300 with 303 passengers and 10 crew.
"Early reports indicate that three cabin crew and approximately 30 passengers sustained injuries, including about 15 with serious injuries, namely broken bones and lacerations."
Learmonth has only one runway, about 10,000ft long, and is used mainly by oil and gas companies.
The nearest town is the port of Exmouth, around 700 miles north of Perth, the state capital of Western Australia.
Qantas has been hit by a spate of incidents recently.
In one, Australian air safety investigators blamed an oxygen bottle for a mid-air explosion which blew a minivan-size hole in the side of Qantas 747 last month.
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The Qantas aircraft made an emergency landing at Learmonth airfield in the northeastern town of Exmouth.
It was carrying 303 passengers from Singapore to Australia.
The Australian Air Transport Safety Bureau said in a statement: "While cruising in level flight, the aircraft experienced a sudden in-flight upset, resulting in injuries to a number of cabin crew and passengers, primarily in the rear of the aircraft.
"The crew declared a Mayday and diverted the aircraft to Learmonth, near Exmouth ... where it landed without further incident."
Police initially described the aircraft as an airbus A320 with 370 passengers on board, but Qantas later said flight QF72 was an A330-300 with 303 passengers and 10 crew.
"Early reports indicate that three cabin crew and approximately 30 passengers sustained injuries, including about 15 with serious injuries, namely broken bones and lacerations."
Learmonth has only one runway, about 10,000ft long, and is used mainly by oil and gas companies.
The nearest town is the port of Exmouth, around 700 miles north of Perth, the state capital of Western Australia.
Qantas has been hit by a spate of incidents recently.
In one, Australian air safety investigators blamed an oxygen bottle for a mid-air explosion which blew a minivan-size hole in the side of Qantas 747 last month.
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