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A mechanical problem on a Qantas flight from Perth to northern WA leaves passengers horrified

Posted on by L. Dreeye
A mechanical problem on a Qantas flight from Perth to northern WA leaves passengers horrified

Passengers on board a flight from Perth to the northern Western Australian city say they texted loved ones “scared” after being told to prepare for an emergency landing yesterday.

Sinead Campion was traveling on Qantas flight QF1624 to Paraburda in the Pilbara with her 11-year-old daughter Lexi.

“When we were flying, we had a feeling of almost weightlessness: we seemed to go down and up, down and up again,” she said.

She said flight attendants soon began clearing the cabin and passengers were asked to practice the position of the struts.

Close up of woman and young girl

Sinead Campion and her daughter Lexi were on board Qantas flight QF1624 on Monday. (Supplied by: Sinead Campion)

“A little later we were told to prepare for an emergency landing,” she said.

“I was absolutely terrified.

“I sent my husband a message… I had no signal, but I thought if I left him to send a message and it was on my phone, then he would see.”

Michael is circumcised

Michael Bray said passengers were in a restrained position during the flight. (Contributed by: Michael Bray)

Michael Bray was also flying with his young daughter.

“We were in the corset position for 15 to 20 minutes,” he said.

“My 10-year-old daughter was crying her eyes out… I just squeezed her as hard as I could, holding her down.”

Calls for aircraft replacement

After attempting to fix mechanical problems, the pilots safely flew the plane to Geraldton, hundreds of kilometers from its original destination.

“Everyone was excited when we landed because we really expected to land in a field,” Ms Campion said.

Ms Campion praised the professionalism of the cabin crew but said the aircraft used on the route needed to be replaced.

“We need decent aircraft to fly from Perth to Paraburda and back,” she said.

Fokker 100 aircraft are currently in service on QF1624.

Map showing the flight route from Perth to Parburdah and then to Geraldton.

The Qantas flight was diverted due to mechanical problems. (Attached: Flightradar24)

In a statement, subsidiary Qantas Network Aviation said the flight was diverted due to a mechanical problem with the autoflight system.

“We are currently conducting a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the mechanical failure,” chief pilot Evan Bartlett said in a statement.

Qantas did not respond to ABC’s specific questions about whether the aircraft used on the Perth to Paraburdoo route would be replaced.

Passengers were flown from Geraldton back to Perth late yesterday and Qantas said they were offered a return flight to Paraburdah today.

“We understand this was an upsetting experience for those on board and we sincerely apologize,” Mr Bartlett said.

“We are in the process of communicating with all customers to ensure we can provide our support.”

Network Aviation said the pilots requested a priority landing at Geraldton and that it was not an emergency landing.