‘Going down so fast’: Passenger tells of terror on Qantas flight to Brisbane

A terrified passenger on a flight to Brisbane has described the moment a Qantas flight went into emergency descent, dropping thousands of metres in a matter of minutes, after a cabin pressure issue. SEE THE VIDEO

The QantasLink Embraer E-190 VH-UYR at Rockhampton Airport after earlier diverting while operating as QF1871 from Townsville to Brisbane. Photo: John Lee

A terrified passenger has described the moment a Qantas flight went into emergency descent, dropping thousands of metres in a matter of minutes, after a cabin pressure issue.

“I was on the flight this morning, and I can tell you that it was not a fun ride going down so fast! I need to send out a search plane for my stomach,’’ Townsville woman Naomi Lynch said.

She shared how the rapid descent left passengers reeling.

“The pilot just said, ‘Emergency descent, emergency descent,’ so the stewards sat down, and then we heard nothing, and the plane just dropped really, really quick.”

Ms Lynch was returning to work in Brisbane after a recent health scare.

“I had a pulmonary embolism six, seven weeks ago, so I was thinking, how many times can I dodge death?

“This is my first flight back to work, so it’s put the wind up me a little bit, that’s for sure.”

Her frustration grew after the emergency landing in Rockhampton, citing a lack of communication from Qantas.

“No one spoke to us. No one checked on us,” she said.

The QantasLink (Alliance Airlines) flight on a Embraer E190 left Townsville about 6am and was scheduled to land in Brisbane at 7.50am.

But eagle eyed plane spotters in Central Queensland reported just after 7.15am that there was “something up” and it underwent a rapid descent of about 20,000 feet (6000m) before diverting to Rockhampton Airport.

Flight data showed it was travelling at about 29,000 feet before dropping to about 5000 feet after the ‘Squawk 7700’ emergency declaration.

QantasLink (Alliance Airlines) flight QF1871 E190 from Townsville to Brisbane. Photo: FlightRadar24

“Our Townsville to Brisbane flight was safely diverted to Rockhampton on Tuesday morning following a depressurisation issue,’’ a Qantas spokesperson said.

“The flight landed normally and we’ll get passengers on their way to Brisbane on other flights this morning.

“We understand this would have been an unsettling experience for our customers and want to thank them for their patience and understanding.”

It is understood after the issue emerged, the pilots initially descended the aircraft to 10,000ft and requested a priority landing.

Inside the Rockhampton Airport departure lounge after a Qantas flight from Townsville to Brisbane was forced to make an emergency landing at the Rockhampton Airport just after 7am on Tuesday, September 17 because of a cabin pressure issue.

The Qantas spokeswoman said that passengers would be put on flights this morning to Brisbane.

The passengers were being put on two flights at 8.30am and 10.30am.

Investigations are continuing into the incident.

‘THEY RATTLE, CREAK, LEAK’

The emergency landing made Matt, who works in the tyre industry based in Townsville and asked not to use his surname, late for a meeting.

He flies to Brisbane eight to 12 times a year for work and said it was very common to fly Qantas out of Townsville on an Alliance plane and sometimes Virgin.

Matt said the past eight flights he had been on that had been booked through Qantas had been Alliance planes.

“They all rattle, they creak, they leak,” he said.

When asked if he felt they were not checked often enough, Matt responded “how could they be when you lose pressure at 30,000 feet?”

Matt said when he flies for work to Brisbane, it affects his employer and co-workers.

”I was supposed to be there in a meeting an hour ago,” he told this publication.

A Qantas flight from Townsville to Brisbane was forced to make an emergency landing at the Rockhampton Airport just after 7am on Tuesday, September 17 because of a cabin pressure issue.

“This is the first time (mid-air) with Alliance, but I’ve been delayed for half a day …” Matt said.

He said he lodged complaints through lawyers and had a settlement which “covered the lawyers cost” but not really much of a reimbursement for flights and missed time or labour.

Originally published as ‘Going down so fast’: Passenger tells of terror on Qantas flight to Brisbane