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Investigators Examine 9-Foot Hole In Jumbo Jet

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Jul 26, 2008 8:08 am US/Pacific

Investigators Examine 9-Foot Hole In Jumbo Jet

MANILA, Philippines (AP) ―

Click to enlarge 1 of 1: A hole in the side of Qantas Airways Boeing 747-400 after it made an emergency landing in Manila, Philippines on July 25, 2008.
AP

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Australian investigators have arrived in the Philippines to begin looking at a Qantas jumbo jet with a giant 9-foot hole in its fuselage.

The Boeing 747-400 was cruising at 29,000 feet with 346 passengers aboard yesterday when it was shaken by what passengers describe as a loud bang. Oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling and the plane descended rapidly as debris flew through the cabin from a hole in the floor.

The jet was en route to Melbourne, Australia, from London, and passengers had just been served a meal after a stopover in Hong Kong. The pilot managed to land it safely minutes later at the airport in Manila.

Nobody was hurt.

Qantas Chief Executive Officer Geoff Dixon tells reporters he was horrified when he saw pictures of the gaping hole near where the right wing attaches to the fuselage. He says it's too early to speculate on what caused the damage.