Amateur Video From Inside the Qantas Jet That Lost Cabin Pressure

There was a scary moment on Qantas flight 30 from London to Australia. The flight lost cabin pressure at about 30,000.

Qantas flight 30 cruised at 29,000ft above the South China Sea on the last leg of its long journey from London to Australia. Weary passengers were dozing or watching the in-flight entertainment and counting down the hours till they landed in Melbourne when there was what one described as an "incredible boom". A rush of air swept through the cabin, sending debris and passengers' belongings flying.

Some people began crying, oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling and the plane lurched downwards after the pilot, John Bartels, put it into an emergency descent, plunging 20,000ft in an attempt to deal with the sudden depressurisation. "It was absolutely terrifying," said one passenger, June Kane. "Everyone thought the plane would disintegrate."

After a few minutes the jumbo jet levelled out. Footage taken by a passenger on a mobile phone shows those on board sitting in tense silence as they braced for a crash landing. The flight was diverted to Manila airport where it made an emergency landing. It was only when the aircraft was on the ground yesterday afternoon that the cause of the drama was revealed: a massive hole had ripped open the fuselage.

Raw video: Amateur video from inside Qantas jet

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