AUSTRALIA: Qantas Planes Narrowly Miss A Collision At Perth Airport

Two Qantas flights had a near-miss in Perth when one plane crossed a runway into the path of another jet commencing take-off.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is investigating the serious incident, which occurred on Saturday after a Qantas flight from Sydney landed, cutting across a departing plane.

The flights involved in the incident, which happened around 2.40pm, were QF 567 from Sydney to Perth, and QF 582 heading the other way.

Both aircraft were Boeing 737s.

The pilot of QF 567 had to brake hard as the other jet, travelling to Sydney, was forced to abort its take-off.

An initial ATSB report said the landed aircraft was supposed to stop short at a holding point before the runway, but the pilots kept going until air traffic controllers told them to brake immediately.

The close shave occurred in an area known as a runway incursion hotspot, the ATSB said.

As part of the investigation, the ATSB will interview the flight crews and controllers on duty in the Perth control tower, examine recorded data from both aircraft and radar, and review recorded communications between the flight crews and air traffic control.

Qantas said it will also review the incident, and it is assisting the ATSB with its investigation, with a final report expected in a year.


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CHINA: Headphones Explode On A Flying Plane

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) issued a passenger warning notice today related to a recent incident on board involving a battery explosion.

On a flight between Beijing and Melbourne, a woman was wearing noise-canceling headphones while sleeping.

After two hours of flight, she woke up in pain.

“As I went to turn around I felt burning on my face,” she said according to a statement published Tuesday by the ATSB. “I just grabbed my face which caused the headphones to go around my neck.”

“I continued to feel burning so I grabbed them off and threw them on the floor. They were sparking and had small amounts of fire.”

“As I went to stamp my foot on them the flight attendants were already there with a bucket of water to pour on them.

They put them into the bucket at the rear of the plane.”

By the time the flight arrived, the headphone battery and cover were both melted and stuck to the floor of the aircraft.

“People were coughing and choking the entire way home,” said the woman referring to the smell of burned plastic in the aircraft.

Until now, the personal information of the passenger of that flight, as well as details on the airline in which the incident took place are still unknown.