Qantas flight from Sydney to Coffs Harbour is forced to turn back

A QantasLink flight from Sydney to Coffs Harbour has been dramatically turned back after experiencing a landing gear problem, following a run of similar issues for the carrier.

About 10 minutes into the flight the pilot asked for clearance to turn the Dash 8 aircraft around and return to Sydney Airport, landing safely just after 5pm on Sunday. 

Then on January 20, two Qantas planes departing from Melbourne were forced to turn around within minutes of each other due to mechanical issues – the fourth incident in three days for the airline. 

Flight QF1516 from Melbourne to Canberra turned-back on Friday morning after pilots noticed an issue with the flaps of the Boeing 717 aircraft.

The plane took off from Melbourne Airport at 10.10am and was in the sky for just 17 minutes before it circled back and landed at 10.27am. 

Within minutes, passengers on flight QF430 from Melbourne to Sydney were separately alerted to a ‘minor engine issue’ and that plane was turned around. 

The Boeing 737 aircraft took off from Tullamarine Airport at 9.28am before completing a large loop and returning just 50 minutes later at 10.18am. 

Qantas domestic chief executive Andrew David previously downplayed the issues, saying the airline averaged only about 60 turnbacks a year out of 10,000 across the industry.

Source of data and images: dailymail