Smoke Fills Cabin Shortly After Takeoff
A Qantas flight bound for Canberra was forced to make an urgent return to Adelaide Airport on Wednesday morning after the passenger cabin began filling with smoke shortly after takeoff. Flight QF1972, which departed Adelaide around 6:10am, carried several Australian politicians including South Australian senator Leah Blyth who was travelling to Canberra for the Liberal party's net-zero meeting.
Emergency Protocol Activated
The pilots issued a PAN declaration, an international urgency signal used to declare situations that are serious but not immediately life-threatening. The aircraft safely returned to Adelaide where fire crews and paramedics were waiting to assist passengers. Fortunately, no injuries were reported among those onboard.
Senator Blyth described the experience to Adelaide radio station FIVEAA as "unusual" rather than frightening. "It wasn't scary, it was unusual. Obviously, we fly a fair bit... I've never had a cabin fill with smoke quite like that before," she commented. The senator praised the Qantas crew for remaining "cool, calm, and collected" throughout the incident.
Technical Issue Blamed for Incident
A Qantas spokesperson confirmed the aircraft turned back due to a technical issue and stated that engineers would be inspecting the plane. All passengers were rebooked onto alternative flights to continue their journeys throughout the morning.
This incident follows another aviation emergency in Australia yesterday when a United Airlines 777 bound for San Francisco experienced engine failure after the left engine reportedly caught fire during take-off from Brisbane airport.
