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| QANTASLINK FOKKER 100 VH-NHY (MSN 11467) |
Passengers have expressed their gratitude to a Qantas captain for his composed response to an in-flight incident on a Perth-bound flight originating from Western Australia's Midwest.
The Fokker 100 aircraft left Geraldton (GET/YGEL) bound for Perth (PER/YPPH) at 9am from runway 21 but turned back ten minutes later, circling north-east of the city's airport, performing three 5-minute holding patterns before landing without incident at 9.55am again on runway 21.
Upon disembarking at Geraldton Airport, passenger Loic Frison noted that the issues became apparent approximately 4 to 5 minutes into the flight.
"The captain took the microphone and announced, 'There is a vibration on the left side of the plane, so please remain calm as we return to Geraldton for an emergency landing,'" he said.
"The plane descended, and we could see through the window that it was very close to the ground, which was quite stressful.
"It was really strange. Everyone was calm. Nobody was speaking. Pretty calm but really anxious."
Fellow passenger Mathilde Tricoire said she could feel the vibrations in the cabin.
"I wasn't anxious, I think, because of the adrenaline," she said
"I felt pretty bad because I thought maybe we were going to land in the middle of nowhere."
She praised the composure of the flight crew.
"The pilot very clearly explained there was a problem with one of the engines, they put it in idle mode, and they were standing by for instructions for what to do next," Ms. Bryett said.
"He tried to make the occasional little joke to keep everyone happy, but it was amazing how quiet the plane was; not a word being said.
In a statement, a Qantas spokesperson said
"It was really strange. Everyone was calm. Nobody was speaking. Pretty calm but really anxious."
Fellow passenger Mathilde Tricoire said she could feel the vibrations in the cabin.
"I wasn't anxious, I think, because of the adrenaline," she said
"I felt pretty bad because I thought maybe we were going to land in the middle of nowhere."
She praised the composure of the flight crew.
"The pilot very clearly explained there was a problem with one of the engines, they put it in idle mode, and they were standing by for instructions for what to do next," Ms. Bryett said.
"He tried to make the occasional little joke to keep everyone happy, but it was amazing how quiet the plane was; not a word being said.
In a statement, a Qantas spokesperson said
"The aircraft experienced a minor technical issue and apologized for the inconvenience to the passengers. They stated that the plane followed protocol and requested a priority landing."
"Our pilots followed normal procedure, and the aircraft landed safely," the spokesperson said.
They mentioned that the aircraft would be examined before returning to service, and all passengers would be placed on alternate flights today.
Airline Information:
Airline: Qantaslink Code: QF/QLK
Aircraft: Fokker 100
Registration: VH-NHP
Serial Number: 11399
Engines: 2 x RR Tay 650-15
First Flew: 27th May 1992
Age: 32.6 Years
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