Qantas 747 bound for LAX turns back after cracking sounds heard

Loud cracking noises forced a Qantas 747 Captain to abort a flight from Sydney to Los Angeles an hour after take off on Tuesday, returning to Sydney and landing safely.

Flight crew and passengers were apparently startled by several loud noises, with one source saying several “large cracking sounds” were heard near a door when the aircraft made several turns, adding that dust also fell from the ceiling.

CASA spokesman, Peter Gibson, said that the incident had been reported to the regulator but a safety inspection had not found any faults.

Australian Transport Safety Bureau spokesman, Julian Walsh, added yesterday, “Qantas is still trying to find the source of the problem”, and that no connection had been made to the large cracks discovered on the rear of aircraft in a maintenance inspection in 2003.

Qantas’s Head of Engineering, David Cox, said a thorough inspection had found no “structural issues” with the aircraft.

Report by The Mole