What happened
On August 20, 2005, Qantas Airways Flight 70, an Airbus Industrie A330-303 with registration VH-QPE, departed Narita International Airport for Perth, Australia. During the flight, the crew received multiple smoke warnings on the electronic centralized aircraft monitor (ECAM) indicating smoke in the cargo compartments. The first warning occurred at approximately 23:05 JST, followed by a series of subsequent warnings throughout the flight.
In response to the indications, the crew decided to divert the aircraft to Kansai International Airport. Upon landing at approximately 00:51 on August 21, the aircraft proceeded toward a parking position. While taxiing, air traffic control informed the crew that fire services had observed white smoke around the aircraft's nose gear. Consequently, the captain ordered an emergency evacuation using the aircraft's escape slides on the taxiway.
During the evacuation process, one passenger sustained serious injuries and eight passengers sustained minor injuries. There were 194 people on board the aircraft at the time of the incident.
The investigation
The investigation examined the flight data recorder (DFDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR) to reconstruct the sequence of smoke warnings and the crew's subsequent actions. Investigators analyzed the ECAM displays, the status of the cargo compartment isolation valves, and the communication between the flight crew, cabin crew, and air traffic control. The investigation also reviewed the aircraft's maintenance history and the specific circumstances surrounding the smoke observed at the nose gear during the taxi phase.