Posted By gham Im sorry i could not resist a quick google search "It is often claimed, most notably in the 1988 movie Rain Man, that Qantas has never had a fatal crash. However, the company's official line is that it has never lost a "jet" aircraft. Prior to the jet era, Qantas had fatal crashes. One was on 16 July 1951, when De Havilland Drover VH-EBQ crashed in New Guinea after an engine failure, killing all seven passengers and crew. Other fatal accidents occurred in 1927, 1934, 1942, 1943 (×2), and 1944. Qantas' record in the jet era was spotless until Boeing 747-400 VH-OJH, carrying 407 passengers and crew, over-ran the runway by 220 metres, ending up in a golf course, while landing in a rainstorm at Bangkok on 23 September 1999. [1] There were no fatalities; however, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau criticised numerous inadequacies in Qantas' operational and training processes. [2] Repairs to the nine-year-old aircraft were undertaken in Bangkok and China at a cost in excess of A$100 million, believed to be the most expensive in history. The aircraft had suffered extensive damage to landing gear, engines and engine pylons and the front fuselage and it was widely suggested at the time that it should have been written-off. Qantas denied that pressure had been applied to insurers to avoid a hull-loss being recorded so that the airline's safety record would remain intact. The following year 747-300 VH-EBW was damaged when its landing gear collapsed while taxiing at Rome. It also returned to service after repairs. On 21 August 2005, an incident occurred involving Qantas Airbus A330-300 VH-QPE with 178 passengers and 13 crew aboard. The aircraft made an emergency landing at Kansai Airport in Osaka, Japan after an indication of smoke in the cargo hold. The Osaka Control Tower reported seeing smoke on landing, so an emergency evacuation was declared as a precaution and emergency slides were deployed. Nine passengers were injured and hospitalised. Subsequent investigation found no sign of smoke or fire, and it is believed that the cargo fire sensors were faulty. The aircraft was only 15 months old at the time of the incident. On 2 February 2006, a Qantas Boeing 767-300ER VH-OGH, carrying 155 passengers and 11 crew, and a United Airlines 747-400, carrying 99 passengers and 14 crew, were involved in a collision while on the runway at Melbourne Airport. The Qantas aircraft sustained damage to a horizontal stabiliser while the United aircraft damaged a wingtip. United released a statement saying its flight 840 from Melbourne to Los Angeles "reported a wingtip touch with a Qantas aircraft as it taxied". No passengers were injured in the incident" Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qantas

Posted By Brett Day Just to add to the pedantry, I wonder how or why a civillian aircraft would have a targeting radar on it?? Do they come under some sort of reserve scheme?