Qantas brake malfunction forces flight into emergency landing at Brisbane Airport

A Qantas flight has made an emergency landing at Brisbane Airport on Tuesday morning, with passengers told midair the brakes had malfunctioned.

QF1929, operated by an E190 jet, left Brisbane at 8.20am en route to Adelaide, turned around in northern NSW, and landed back in Brisbane at 9.51am.

Passenger Tudor Vasile told radio program 4BC Mornings that about 40 minutes into the flight, the captain announced the brakes were locked in place, with fears this would mean the wheels would blow on impact.

Qantas passenger Tudor Vasile filmed the emergency landing of flight QF1929 at Brisbane Airport after the malfunction.Credit: 4BC

“They turned the plane around, but then they were saying ... we have to do an emergency landing. And so imagine everyone on the plane freaking out, thinking, what’s going on?

“They cleared the runways ... you could see all the emergency vehicles on the tarmac ready to go, fire brigade, all that,” Vasile said.

“Coming into landing, everything was OK. And then about 15 seconds in, the captain jumped back on again and said, ‘brace for emergency impact’.

QF1929 made an emergency landing at Brisbane airport this morning.Credit: FlightAware.com

“Everyone started freaking out and jumping in the brace position ... then we landed, and I tell you what, it was, was a great, great feeling knowing that the tyres didn’t blow and we landed safely.

“The whole plane just erupted in applause and cheers and excitement. Definitely heading into the bar now to have a beer.”

Qantas said the aircraft landed normally after experiencing a mechanical issue, and was being checked by engineers.

“We recognise that this may have been concerning for customers and we thank them for their understanding,” a spokesperson said.

“We are working hard to get customers on their way as quickly as possible.”

It is standard protocol for emergency services to be on standby during a priority landing.

Vasile said he texted his loved ones in the midst of the panic, fearing the situation might be worse than the pilot had let on.

“I was just telling my family, parents and brother, exactly what’s going on. Definitely wasn’t saying goodbye. I was a bit more optimistic that my time is not done yet,” he said.

“I wasn’t going to let this plane flight be the end of me, that’s for sure.

“When you see all the fire trucks and everything around, you think there’s something a little bit more than just wheels exploding ... but everything went perfectly, mate. It was sweet as anything.”

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