Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Corangamite for his question. As the minister for transport, the safety of the travelling public will always be my No. 1 priority. At 3.30 pm local time on Tuesday, 6 October, Qantas flight QF72 from Singapore to Perth made a safe emergency landing in Learmonth, Western Australia. The plane had to land because at 37,000 feet the plane unexpectedly pitched downwards for a short period, dropping hundreds of feet. For the 303 passengers and 10 crew on board, this was a frightening and traumatic event. More than 70 people were injured in the incident. I would like to place on record the government’s gratitude to the Qantas crew, the ground staff, the police and the hospital staff who assisted the injured and distressed passengers and crew. I think I speak on behalf of both sides about that issue.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau says that the crew’s timely response led to the recovery of the aircraft trajectory within seconds. I note the many tributes paid by the passengers to the pilot and crew of the aircraft and I also pay tribute to them. The quick and effective response of the pilot and crew is testimony to their training and their professionalism.

From the evening of 6 October until Monday, 13 October, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigators were on site at Learmonth and in Canberra. Also helping with the investigation are the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, Qantas and investigators from the French government equivalent of the ATSB. As is normally the case in these investigations, Airbus, who were the manufacturers of the plane, are also providing valuable technical assistance.

The ATSB announced yesterday evening that it has identified a computer fault as the likely cause of the incident. According to the ATSB, it appears one of the plane’s onboard computers sent false information to the flight control computer, causing the autopilot to disconnect and, a short time later, causing the plane to quickly pitch downwards. Yesterday Airbus issued urgent instructions to all airlines using its planes on what to do in the very unlikely event that a similar computer fault occurs. Investigators now know what the likely cause of the incident is, but work is continuing on why the incident happened, and I intend to keep the House updated on these matters.

The ATSB will work with Airbus’s component manufacturers in the USA and France to determine why the onboard computer malfunctioned as it did. CASA, the independent safety regulator, is keeping a close eye on the investigation. This appears to be an isolated incident and CASA accepts the manufacturer’s recommendations, which will ensure these aircraft can continue to operate safely. The ATSB will release a preliminary factual report in early November, within 30 days of the accident, and the ATSB will immediately bring any critical safety issues they uncover to the attention of relevant authorities. I will be guided by advice from the ATSB and CASA, who are working closely with Airbus and Qantas in this investigation. The government will ensure that any necessary safety action is taken.

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