Qantas flight drops from 21,000 feet in 4 minutes

QANTASLINK EMBRAER E190AR VH-XVU (MSN 19000078) 

A Qantas flight traveling from Darwin (DRW/YPDN) in the Northern Territory to Cairns (CNS/YBCS) in far north Queensland made a rapid 21,000-foot descent in four minutes after a cockpit warning light triggered an emergency response on Monday morning.

Flight QF1889, operated by an Embraer E-190, had just taken off from Darwin when the crew encountered a pressurization alert. The pilots promptly initiated a controlled descent from 31,000 feet to 10,000 feet, stabilizing the aircraft shortly after.

Passengers described the drop as being terrifying or horrifying though no injuries were reported. "It felt like we were descending rapidly. People were frightened, but the crew remained very calm," one traveler shared with local media.

Qantas later confirmed the event, stressing that the descent was precautionary and that its pilots are trained extensively for such scenarios. The airline added that the jet would undergo a full engineering inspection before returning to service.

At 6.30am the aircraft departed from Darwin's runway 11. 

At 6.54am it was cruising at 31,000 feet.

At 6.58am it was cruising at 10,000 feet.

At 7.00am the aircraft turned back for Darwin. 

At 7.43am the aircraft landed safely on runway 11.

Here in Australia, we are known for our strong aviation safety record, and this incident highlights the strict standards crews follow when technical alerts occur in flight. 

Flight Information 

Airline: QantasLink 

Code: QF/QLK

Aircraft: Embraer E190 

Registration: VH-XVU

Serial Number: 19000078

Engines: 2 x GE CF34-10E6

First Flew: January 2007

Age: 18.8 Years 

As of today (Thursday), the aircraft is still on the ground in Darwin, although it is scheduled to perform QF1958 to Alice Springs later this morning.