The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Sydney

A Qantas 767 was forced to return to Sydney shortly after take off Saturday when the pilot detected a hydraulic leak in the wing, the airline said, denying reports the jet made an emergency landing.

In the third safety scare involving Qantas aircraft in just over a week, the airline said the Manila-bound flight with 200 passengers on board landed at Sydney Airport about 3:00pm after the problem was detected. "It landed without incident after the captain became aware that the aircraft had a hydraulic leak," a Qantas spokeswoman told AFP.

"It was not an emergency landing." The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Sky News Australia and Australian Associated Press all reported the incident involved an emergency landing.

The Qantas spokeswoman said fire engines were on standby on the tarmac as a precaution but the passengers, who have since left for Manila on a replacement aircraft, were never in any danger.

She said the pilot made the determination about whether or not a landing qualified as an emergency and reports he requested a priority landing in Sydney were incorrect.

Civil Aviation Safety Authority's Peter Gibson said air traffic controllers on the ground in Sydney initially spotted the problem.

"Air traffic control noticed what they thought was smoke coming from the back of the aircraft," he told Channel Nine television.

"What it turned out to be was a hydraulic leak of hydraulic fluid coming out of the hydraulic system creating a fine spray at the back of the aircraft that looked like smoke."