Melbourne:
A pilot for Virgin Airlines was swept off the stairs of his plane after a Boeing 747 taxied close by.
He ended up with a fractured arm and leg.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that the pilot was conducting pre-flight checks on passenger jet in Brisbane last week. The aluminium stairs he was standing on toppled over from the force of the engine blast from a Qantas 747.
Qantas said its plane was "operating normally" under instructions from air traffic control and "at no stage" was excessive thrust used.
"A second officer was taken to hospital and treated for his injuries but he is now at home," a spokeswoman for Virgin Airlines said.
The airline has reported the incident to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.
Safety experts are looking into how the Qantas jumbo came close enough to the Boeing 737, which is operated by Virgin subsidiary Pacific Blue, to blow over the stairs on which the first officer was standing.