74 hurt as Qantas Airbus plunges 2000 meters

At least 74 people were injured yesterday when a computer glitch overrode the pilots control of a Qantas Airbus A330-300, and caused it to plunge 2000 meters.

Melbourne, Oct.8 : At least 74 people were injured yesterday when a computer glitch overrode the pilots' control of a Qantas Airbus A330-300, and caused it to plunge 2000 meters.

According to a Daily Telegraph report, air safety investigators have confirmed there was an "irregularity" in the onboard computer equipment of a Qantas plane involved in a mid-air incident between Singapore and Perth.

The Airbus A330-300, with 303 passengers and a crew of 10, struck what the airline described as a "sudden change in altitude" north of its destination yesterday.

The QF72 flight plane landed at Learmonth, about 40km from Exmouth, without any further incidents. It had been flying from Singapore and was headed for Perth.

The plane was travelling at 37,000 feet and 110 miles north of Carnarvon when the incident occurred.

The injured passengers and crew were later flown to Perth on five Royal Flying Doctor Service aircraft last night and transferred by ambulance to city hospitals. A second team of investigators is also now travelling to Learmonth to help unravel just what exactly happened.

ANI