Boeing 747-400 accident near Manila, Ph, July 25, 2008
On July 25, 2008 at about 11:15 am local time, a Boeing 747-400, registered VHOJK, was substantially damaged in an accident near Manila. It was flown under non-U.S. commercial rules. No one was hurt; 365 people were on board or involved.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 25, 2008 · about 11:15 am local time
- Place
- Manila, Philippines
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 365 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Boeing 747-400 · all 747-400s on the register
- Registration
- VHOJK · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · non-U.S. commercial rules
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
At approximately 11:15 AM local time, Manila, Philippines, the crew of Qantas flt 30, a Boeing 747-400, VH-OJK, executed an emergency landing after a section of the fuselage separated at an altitude of approximately 29,000 feet and resulted in a rapid depressurization of the cabin. The flight was scheduled passenger service from Hong Kong to Melbourne Australia. Following the depressurization event, the crew descended the aircraft to 10,000 feet in accordance with established procedures and diverted the aircraft to Manila where a safe landing was carried out. The aircraft taxied to the terminal unassisted, where the passengers and crew disembarked. There were no reported injuries to the 346 passengers or 19 crew members. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is investigating this accident, and the NTSB dispatched a U.S. Accredited Representative as well as a technical advisor for aircraft airworthiness to Manila to assist the ATSB. Representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing also traveled as technical advisors to the U.S. Accredited Representative. All requests for information should be directed to the ATSB: Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) P.O. Box 967, Civic Square Canberra A.C.T. 2608 Australia Website: http://www.atsb.gov.au
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
The flight
- Departed from: HKG Hong Kong
- Destination: MEL Melbourne
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 17 | |||
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 346 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.