Plane has history of rust, officials say

MANILA, Philippines, July 25 (UPI) -- The Qantas Airways airplane forced to make an emergency landing in Manila because of a hole in its side has a history of corrosion, officials said.

Aviation sources Friday said engineers uncovered a large amount of corrosion in the Qantas jumbo jet during a major refurbishment earlier this year, The Sydney Daily Telegraph reported Friday

The damage occurred at a point called the "wing root fairing" that is near where the plane's explosive oxygen bottles are stored.

Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigators traveled to Manila Friday to inspect the plane. Aviation experts said investigators also would examine the maintenance records of the Boeing 747, registered in 1991.

Under regulations commercial aircraft are permitted to fly with known defects under official waivers.

A spokesman for the board said the possibility of terrorism was "an aspect of the investigation," but stressed the matter was being treated as an air safety incident.

A senior Qantas pilot told The Daily Telegraph the accident may have resulted from the company's outsourcing maintenance work to Malaysia.

Friday's incident follows another Qantas 747-400 being forced to make an emergency landing in Bangkok several months ago.