Cylinder blasted into Qantas jet's cabin: investigators
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Blast: the hole in the fuselage after the mid-air emergency
Air safety investigators have released a preliminary report into the mid-air emergency in which an exploding oxygen tank punched a hole in a Qantas jet last month.
The Boeing 747-400, which was en route from Hong Kong to Melbourne, was forced to land in Manila after the explosion tore a hole in its fuselage.
The report by the Australian Transport and Safety Bureau (ATSB) contains a detailed account of how the passenger oxygen cylinder - one of 13 carried on the flight - failed and then exploded in the aircraft hold.
It says the cylinder ruptured the fuselage, punctured the cabin floor and entered the cabin before falling to the cabin floor and falling out of the aircraft through the ruptured fuselage.
The ATSB says investigations are continuing into the functioning of the cabin oxygen masks and into the design and manufacture of the failed oxygen cylinder.
A survey of all passengers is also being conducted.
