QANTAS Cargo flight cabin loses pressure, pilot incapacitated

[Admin]

The national transport safety body is investigating an incident on a Qantas-owned cargo plane that left a pilot incapacitated after the cabin depressurised.

 

The Boeing 737 had departed from Brisbane late on Wednesday night and was on its way to Melbourne when the crew were alerted to a "wing body overheat warning", which resulted in the cabin pressure reducing.

 

 

"The crew donned oxygen and descended to 20,000 ft," the ATSB said in a statement.

 

One of the pilots was then "incapacitated", forcing the captain to descend to 8,000 feet and divert the aircraft to Canberra.

 

Emergency services were called to the airport at 11.46pm on Wednesday, with firefighters and paramedics on standby at the airport when the plane landed safely just after midnight.

 

The incident occurred over Narrandera, in the Riverina region of southern New South Wales.

 

As it was a freight service, no passengers were on board.

 

The bureau will collect evidence to find out exactly what caused the incident.

 

"As part of the investigation, the ATSB will collect and examine information on the aircraft’s flight data recorders and interview maintenance and flight crew," it said in a statement.

 

The plane was a VH-XMO Boeing 737-376 operated by Express Freighters Australia.

 

Express Freighters Australia is a cargo airline based in Sydney, established in 2006. It is wholly owned by Qantas Freight, a subsidiary of Qantas.

 

The airline said an air conditioning system fault was partly to blame for the mishap.

 

"The Boeing 737 freighter diverted into Canberra on Wednesday night following a fault with the on-board air conditioning system that affected the ability to maintain pressure in the cabin," a Qantas spokeswoman said.

 

"The aircraft landed normally in Canberra and the pilots went to hospital as a precaution. They were discharged shortly after."

 

They will conduct their own investigation and the plane is being inspected by engineers.