Qantas plane grounded after dog chews through wires

After a dog escaped from his cage in the cargo hold of a Qantas jet and chewed through electrical wires, the plane had to be grounded.

The dog chewed its way through electrical wiring and through some panels that are described as so tough they’re hard to cut with a sharp knife.

According to a report in The Courier-Mail, the first indication that there was trouble came after the Airbus A330 had departed Auckland for Melbourne on 7 December.

A cockpit warning light alerted the pilot to problems with the plane’s auxiliary power unit. The unit is a small jet located in the tail of the aircraft that supplies electricity for various systems while the plane is still on the ground.

As the power unit had been shut off after take-off, no risk to the aircraft was involved. However, when ground staff opened the cargo hold in Melbourne they were confronted by the dog, which they said appeared distressed.

Inspectors determined that after making its way out of its transport age, the dog chewed through the wiring loom to the auxiliary power unit, according to a report by the airline to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.

A source in aviation engineering said: “The dog ripped out several wires which set off the cockpit warning and then it had a go at a number of electrical units in the rear of the plane.”

Thanks to www.foxnews.com for the above quotes, for more information on this article please visit their website.

www.qantas.com.au