The hole truth?

Last week, a QANTAS Boeing 747 had to make an emergency descent and landing in the Philippines following an 'explosion' - since that time, investigators have been trying to work out its cause. The latest theory is that an oxygen tank blew up, causing the damage to the fuselage. It's still only a theory though, and the final conclusion may not be known for a few months. Let's hope the mystery is resolved soon - especially as I'll be using QANTAS jumbo jets on my forthcoming trip. I think the most worrying part of the story so far is that there is apparently no record of what happended on the 'black box' flight recorder, as all the information got 'wiped' during the incident. Seems to defeat the reason for having a flight recorder?! Fortunately, none of the crew or passengers were injured during the incident, but it must have been a heck of a shock to all concerned when the oxygen masks came down. (Maybe this is a good reminder to all those passengers who rudely carry on talking when the safety announcement is being given before each flight - have the courtesy to shut up just for a couple of minutes, so that everyone does understand what to do when things go wrong!)