Travellers reveal what it was like on Auckland-bound Qantas flight from Sydney after mayday emergency landing
Passengers on a Qantas flight from Sydney to Auckland have described their shock after they were forced into an emergency landing when their pilot made a mayday call over the Tasman.
The life-threatening distress signal was triggered from QF141 on Friday when a cockpit alert warned of a fire in the cargo hold.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Qantas flight’s mayday emergency after false fire alert.
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“It was a bit of turbulence on the flight, like flight attendants rushing up and down the aisle,” one passenger said.
“They called a meeting halfway over, serving us food.
“But we were just like, what is happening? Like, what is happening?”
Another of the 156 passengers said “everyone was a bit shocked”.
“You don’t normally hear that on a flight,” Troy Balzan told 7NEWS.
The plane made a successful emergency landing in New Zealand just after midday local time, where it was met by fire trucks and ambulances.
“It was like, OK, this is fairly serious,” Balzan said.
Qantas said a preliminary investigation found there was no fire in the cargo hold.
Aviation engineers will inspect the aircraft to determine what triggered the false alert.
Retired A380 captain James Nixon described cargo fires as “the most dangerous thing that can happen in a pilot’s career”.
The Australian and International Pilots Association (AIPA) said the crew handled the situation well.
“The pilots acted swiftly and professionally by making a mayday call and landing the aircraft safely,” AIPA president Andrew Marshall said.
“While these types of incidents are very rare, Qantas pilots are thoroughly trained to manage them when they do occur. “This event is an important reminder of the critical importance of having two well-trained and well-rested pilots on the flight deck at all times.
“It remains the most essential safety feature in aviation.”
Auckland Airport has since returned to normal operations.
Originally published on 7NEWS
