<p>The Boeing 767 was just 700 feet above the ground when alarms went off alerting the pilots the landing gear had not been deployed.<br />The undercarriage is normally lowered at between 2,000 and 1,500 feet.<br />The pilots immediately boosted power to the engines to regain altitude and flew around the busy airport before coming in to land safely.<br />The airline today issued a statement saying the events around Monday's flight from Melbourne constituted a "serious incident" and would be subject to a full investigation by Qantas and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.<br />"This is an extremely rare event but one we have taken seriously," the Qantas statement said.<br />"The flight crew knew all required procedures, but there was a brief communications breakdown. They responded quickly to the situation and instigated a go-around. The cockpit alert coincided with their actions."<br />The cockpit alert was an audible warning from the ground proximity warning system.<br />Qantas said there was no issue of flight safety, and the airline was fully cooperating with the investigation.<br />The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is also investigating an incident on a Jetstar Airbus A330-200 flight Saturday from Tokyo to the Gold Coast, which experienced a speed-sensing problem similar to one linked to the June crash of an Air France jet in the Atlantic Ocean off Brazil.<br />The autopilot on the Jetstar plane disconnected after a sensor measuring airspeed may have iced up, causing a false speed reading as the plane flew through a storm.<br />The pilots took control and the 200 passengers were unaware of the problem as the plane landed without incident.<br /></p>
<p>The Boeing 767 was just 700 feet above the ground when alarms went off alerting the pilots the landing gear had not been deployed.<br />The undercarriage is normally lowered at between 2,000 and 1,500 feet.<br />The pilots immediately boosted power to the engines to regain altitude and flew around the busy airport before coming in to land safely.<br />The airline today issued a statement saying the events around Monday's flight from Melbourne constituted a "serious incident" and would be subject to a full investigation by Qantas and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.<br />"This is an extremely rare event but one we have taken seriously," the Qantas statement said.<br />"The flight crew knew all required procedures, but there was a brief communications breakdown. They responded quickly to the situation and instigated a go-around. The cockpit alert coincided with their actions."<br />The cockpit alert was an audible warning from the ground proximity warning system.<br />Qantas said there was no issue of flight safety, and the airline was fully cooperating with the investigation.<br />The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is also investigating an incident on a Jetstar Airbus A330-200 flight Saturday from Tokyo to the Gold Coast, which experienced a speed-sensing problem similar to one linked to the June crash of an Air France jet in the Atlantic Ocean off Brazil.<br />The autopilot on the Jetstar plane disconnected after a sensor measuring airspeed may have iced up, causing a false speed reading as the plane flew through a storm.<br />The pilots took control and the 200 passengers were unaware of the problem as the plane landed without incident.<br /></p>