(Source: Associated Press/AP Online)
CANBERRA, Australia - Air safety investigators say a pressurized oxygen cylinder set off a blast that blew a large hole in the side of a Qantas jet last month, forcing an emergency landing.
The release of Friday's interim report by Julian Walsh, acting executive director of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, confirmed earlier suspicions by investigators that an exploding oxygen tank was the cause.
The Boeing 747-438 aircraft, carrying 365 people, was flying over the South China Sea July 5 when the explosion blew a hole in the fuselage, causing a loss of cabin pressure and forcing an emergency landing in the Philippines. There were no serious injuries.'
Walsh says "it is evident that the No. 4 passenger oxygen cylinder sustained a failure that allowed a sudden and complete release of the pressurized contents."
