Monday, August 22, 2005 -- The pilot of a Qantas jet that made an emergency landing at Osaka on the weekend is expected to be interviewed by Japanese transport investigators who are looking into the incident.
A joint Transport Ministry and police committee has been set-up to investigate the incident in which nine passengers were injured as the plane was evacuated after an emergency landing at Osaka airport.
Qantas has blamed a faulty cargo sensor which caused the pilot to turn back the flight bound for Perth .
It was reported that when the smoke warning light came on, the pilot activated fire extinguishers in the cargo bay before making the emergency landing.
There were no signs of smoke or fire after the evacuation, indicating a false alarm, although the control tower at Kansai reported seeing smoke on landing.
Investigators have spoken to flight attendants and hope to speak to the flight crew later today in Japan . Osaka police said Qantas has told them it will cooperate fully with the investigation.
Japan is often tough on aviation incidents, and in the past pilots have faced prosecution for professional misconduct if someone is injured on board their plane.
Many passengers who spent the night in various hotels in Osaka have continued their journey to Perth.
