Fed: Qantas jet undercarriage collapses

AAP General News (Australia)
04-22-2000
Fed: Qantas jet undercarriage collapses

SYDNEY, April 22 AAP - The undercarriage of a Sydney-bound Qantas jumbo jet collapsed
early today as it was about to take off from Rome Airport.

Flight 16 was moving down the runway when the landing gear collapsed and one of its
four engines slammed into the tarmac, according to a passenger.

Fuel leaked across the ground and passengers were evacuated, according to Sky television report.

There have so far been no reports of injuries or the the number of passengers involved.

But a Qantas spokesman in Sydney confirmed the Jumbo was not the same aircraft badly
damaged when it overshot the runway at Bangkok Airport last September.

A passenger on today's flight, called Pat, described the incident in a 2UE Radio interview.

"We'd been moving along the runway getting to the taxiing off point, travelling at
about 50km an hour," he said.

"All of a sudden the landing gear collapsed with an almighty bang and the engine hit
the ground on the righthand side wing.

"If we'd been taxiing at full speed or on landing that would have been pretty catastrophic.

"As it was, all was pretty calm except for the fuel all over the ground. They got us
off the aircraft as soon as possible because they thought it might ignite."

The passengers transferred to a hotel.

The Boeing 747 that ran off the runway at Bangkok underwent a $100 million rebuild.

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KEYWORD: QANTAS LEAD (REPEATING)

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