Qantas grounds A380s following emergency landing
Qantas has suspended scheduled A380 takeoffs after a flight from London to Sydney made a forced landing following engine trouble in the early hours of this morning.
Initial rumours that the A380, flight QF32, had crashed over Indonesia's Batam Island were immediately denied by Qantas which said that engine issues soon after take off necessitated the emergency landing but that the plane was still entirely safe.
Qantas chief executive officer Alan Joyce said Qantas would suspend A380 services "until we are confident that Qantas safety requirements have been met."
Pictures of the aircraft on the runway at Changi show a badly damaged engine casing.
In a statement, Qantas said: "The aircraft had 440 passengers and 26 crew on board.
In line with procedure, the pilot sought priority clearance for its return to Singapore. The aircraft landed safely at 11.45am local time.
"Some media reports suggested the aircraft had crashed. These reports are incorrect. No Qantas aircraft has crashed."
It added: "We have commenced our own investigations as to how this incident occurred."
Witnesses to the incident report that they heard a loud explosion and saw plumes of smoke as the plane flew overhead and saw pieces of fuselage drop to the ground.
This is the first mid-air emergency experienced by the A380 which was introduced in 2007.
With permission from Travelmole
merseygull,
Yes, and some media reports that have been banded around are inaccurate as they originally reported a Qantas aircraft had crashed, which is not the case. QF32 (A380-842, VH-OQA) departed Changai for Sydney this morning and suffered an engine failure (engine No2) soon after take-off. Standard procedures were followed, the engine shut down, fuel was burnt/dumped to reduce it's weight for landing and the aircraft landed safely at 1145z. 4 engined aircraft can fly on 3 engines without a problem! The original reports that assumed an aircraft crashed was due to engine debris being found on the Indonesian island of Batam following a loud explosion. It was fragments of the engine. I must say, it looks to have been a serious engine failure (uncontained, causing damage to the wing), hence the precaution of grounded their fleet for checks and further investigation. Qantas A380's are Rolls-Royce Trent 900 powered, as are Singapore Airlines and Lufthansa. Emirates are Engine Alliance GP7200 powered, as are Air France. That's why other fleets using different engines aren't grounded, there's no need to. Singapore are delaying some A380 flights subjet to advice from Rolls-Royce and Airbus. For some reason, the media always hype things up whenever an incident effecting Qantas and the A380 occurs. An engine failure of a Boeing 747 probably wouldn't even make the news.
EDIT: You beat me to it David!
Darren
Yes, and some media reports that have been banded around are inaccurate as they originally reported a Qantas aircraft had crashed, which is not the case. QF32 (A380-842, VH-OQA) departed Changai for Sydney this morning and suffered an engine failure (engine No2) soon after take-off. Standard procedures were followed, the engine shut down, fuel was burnt/dumped to reduce it's weight for landing and the aircraft landed safely at 1145z. 4 engined aircraft can fly on 3 engines without a problem! The original reports that assumed an aircraft crashed was due to engine debris being found on the Indonesian island of Batam following a loud explosion. It was fragments of the engine. I must say, it looks to have been a serious engine failure (uncontained, causing damage to the wing), hence the precaution of grounded their fleet for checks and further investigation. Qantas A380's are Rolls-Royce Trent 900 powered, as are Singapore Airlines and Lufthansa. Emirates are Engine Alliance GP7200 powered, as are Air France. That's why other fleets using different engines aren't grounded, there's no need to. Singapore are delaying some A380 flights subjet to advice from Rolls-Royce and Airbus. For some reason, the media always hype things up whenever an incident effecting Qantas and the A380 occurs. An engine failure of a Boeing 747 probably wouldn't even make the news.
EDIT: You beat me to it David!
Darren
Thank you both for clarifying/correcting...
Hope they get to the bottom of the problem without fuss/bother
ATB,J.
Hope they get to the bottom of the problem without fuss/bother
ATB,J.
Hi Darren engine failure on Qantas 747-400 made the news yesterday seems that they are not having the best press over the past 6months.
qatarman,
The 744 incident was less of an issues than the A380 and just a co-incidenace. Qantas are having a run of bad luck lately.
Darren
The 744 incident was less of an issues than the A380 and just a co-incidenace. Qantas are having a run of bad luck lately.
Darren
Bad luck is when someone throws up over the new carpet on the first flight. Engine failing and damaging the wing is slightly more serious - I hope! Tell me everytime we take off the pilot isn't crossing his fingers hoping the engine will end the flight in the same number of pieces as it started!!!
steve8482 wrote:Engine failing and damaging the wing is slightly more serious - I hope!
It is, but it's a piece of machinery and failures happen. It's not the first engine to fail and won't be the last. Bear in mind the number of Trent 900 turbofans that are in service and the many thousands of hours they've run. This is the first failure of it's type since being introduced. If a problem is found, I'm sure Rolls-Royce will come up with a fix as they've done before. They're rather good as making jet engines! From the preliminary investigation report I've seen, the cause of the engine failure has been found (ie what failed), but it's mode of failure is still under investigation (ie what caused it to fail). Given the nature of the incident, it's a testiment to the design of the Airbus A380.
Darren
Apparently some passengers saw the engine explode on the tail camera view.....
NOW that's DIFFERENT IFE!!!
ATB,J.
NOW that's DIFFERENT IFE!!!
ATB,J.
merseygull wrote:Apparently some passengers saw the engine explode on the tail camera view.....
You can only see the front cowling of the engine from the tail-cam so won't have actually seen the engine 'exploding', however I'm sure they got a shock at what they saw! Those sat on the lower deck just forward of the wing will have seen things more vividly. The engine didn't actually explode as the press made out, it's a sensationilist term used by the media. There wouldn't have been much left of the aircraft if it had actually exploded! What happened was an uncontained engine failure, ie the IP turbine disk and other internal part of of the engine detatch removing the rear section of the engine cowling as they went, some of which penetrated the wing. This is underneath the wing for the most part and out of view of pasengers. That's probably a good thing having seen some ofthe pictures, I wouldn't have liked to have been onboard looking out of the window at that. The crew handled things text book though, a big thumbs up to them
Darren
I think the Thomson Airways Manchester bird strike shows just how professional and calm pilots are, no matter how many times i watch the video i take my hat off to that pilot.
Or what about the brilliant landing by that USAirways pilot in the Hudson river last year??
ATB,J.
ATB,J.
Qantas A380s grounded for at least 72 hours
Qantas said today its fleet of A380 aircraft will remain grounded for at least another 72 hours after a possible oil leak was discovered in three of the Rolls Royce engines.
The Australian airline grounded its six A380s last Thursday after an engine on one of its super-jumbos exploded on a flight from Sydney to Singapore shortly after take-off, forcing the aircraft to return to Singapore.
Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said checks on other engines had revealed 'oil where it shouldn't be' on three of them.
Speaking to Australian Broadcasting Corporation Joyce said: "We are keeping an open mind on it but... We think it could have been a materials issue on the engine, or a design issue."
He said it would be days rather than weeks before the aircraft were flying again, but he added: "We will take as long as it needs to in order that we are absolutely comfortable the aircraft is safe to fly."
In an unrelated incident on Friday, a Qantas Boeing 747 - also equipped with Rolls-Royce engines - was forced to return to Singapore with an engine problem after taking off.
Mr Joyce said it was "not a safety issue" and that there were no plans to ground the airline's fleet of 747s.
Rolls-Royce, the British firm which makes the engines for the Qantas planes, saw its share price fall by nearly 5% on Friday.
Singapore Airlines is continuing to fly its fleet of 11 A380 aircraft that are fitted with the same Trent 900 Rolls Royce engines used on the Qantas A380s. It said safety checks had not revealed any cause for concern.
Emirates Airlines, which has one of the largest fleets of A380s, is continuing to fly its aircraft which are powered by Engine Alliance engines.
With permission from Travelmole
Qantas said today its fleet of A380 aircraft will remain grounded for at least another 72 hours after a possible oil leak was discovered in three of the Rolls Royce engines.
The Australian airline grounded its six A380s last Thursday after an engine on one of its super-jumbos exploded on a flight from Sydney to Singapore shortly after take-off, forcing the aircraft to return to Singapore.
Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said checks on other engines had revealed 'oil where it shouldn't be' on three of them.
Speaking to Australian Broadcasting Corporation Joyce said: "We are keeping an open mind on it but... We think it could have been a materials issue on the engine, or a design issue."
He said it would be days rather than weeks before the aircraft were flying again, but he added: "We will take as long as it needs to in order that we are absolutely comfortable the aircraft is safe to fly."
In an unrelated incident on Friday, a Qantas Boeing 747 - also equipped with Rolls-Royce engines - was forced to return to Singapore with an engine problem after taking off.
Mr Joyce said it was "not a safety issue" and that there were no plans to ground the airline's fleet of 747s.
Rolls-Royce, the British firm which makes the engines for the Qantas planes, saw its share price fall by nearly 5% on Friday.
Singapore Airlines is continuing to fly its fleet of 11 A380 aircraft that are fitted with the same Trent 900 Rolls Royce engines used on the Qantas A380s. It said safety checks had not revealed any cause for concern.
Emirates Airlines, which has one of the largest fleets of A380s, is continuing to fly its aircraft which are powered by Engine Alliance engines.
With permission from Travelmole
Singapore Airlines grounds A380s
Singapore Airlines has grounded three of its A380 aircraft to switch engines.
The aircraft, in London, Melbourne and Sydney, will be flown to Singapore where their Rolls-Royce engines will be swapped for newer versions.
The move follows the incident last week when a Qantas A380 was forced to make an emergency landing after one of its engines exploded on a flight shortly after take-off.
The Australian airline grounded its six A380s last Thursday.
Singapore Airlines said Rolls Royce had advised it to ground the aircraft and put in the new engines.
But it stressed that the oil stains found in its engines were different to those discovered by Qantas.
A spokesman said: "We apologise to our customers for flight disruptions that may result and we seek their understanding."
It did not confirm how long the planes would be grounded for.
With permission from Travelmole
Singapore Airlines has grounded three of its A380 aircraft to switch engines.
The aircraft, in London, Melbourne and Sydney, will be flown to Singapore where their Rolls-Royce engines will be swapped for newer versions.
The move follows the incident last week when a Qantas A380 was forced to make an emergency landing after one of its engines exploded on a flight shortly after take-off.
The Australian airline grounded its six A380s last Thursday.
Singapore Airlines said Rolls Royce had advised it to ground the aircraft and put in the new engines.
But it stressed that the oil stains found in its engines were different to those discovered by Qantas.
A spokesman said: "We apologise to our customers for flight disruptions that may result and we seek their understanding."
It did not confirm how long the planes would be grounded for.
With permission from Travelmole
Europe orders new checks on A380
Europe's aviation regulator has identified an oil fire as the likely cause of last week's engine failure on a Qantas A380 plane and ordered a new inspection regime for all A380s using Rolls-Royce engines.
In the latest development, Lufthansa has replaced a Rolls-Royce engine on one of its Airbus A380 superjumbos after maintenance checks detected a problem, a spokesman said yesterday.
Lufthansa said the problem was minor and not connected with the oil leaks that have grounded Qantas and Singapore Airlines superjumbos using the same type of engine.
The aircraft in question is back in service.
Lufthansa said customer confidence in the aircraft remained high, and that the airline had not recorded any spike in cancellations since last week's incident with a Qantas A380 flying from Singapore to Sydney.
Qantas has released an updated schedule for its international network to ensure minimum disruption to passengers following the grounding of its Airbus A380 fleet.
Qantas said it is committed to bringing its A380s back into service "as soon as possible".
"This contingency schedule has been designed to provide certainty for customers planning to travel in the near future," an airline spokesman said.
Singapore Airlines, which took three Airbus A380 planes out of service on Wednesday, has not ruled out the possibility of grounding more of the superjumbos.
SIA chief executive Chew Choon Seng said, "We are in very close communication with the aircraft manufacturer and engine-maker.
"Even as they analyse the data, the observations, they come back to us with new recommendations. It is an ongoing, continuous process," he said.
With permission from Travelmole
Europe's aviation regulator has identified an oil fire as the likely cause of last week's engine failure on a Qantas A380 plane and ordered a new inspection regime for all A380s using Rolls-Royce engines.
In the latest development, Lufthansa has replaced a Rolls-Royce engine on one of its Airbus A380 superjumbos after maintenance checks detected a problem, a spokesman said yesterday.
Lufthansa said the problem was minor and not connected with the oil leaks that have grounded Qantas and Singapore Airlines superjumbos using the same type of engine.
The aircraft in question is back in service.
Lufthansa said customer confidence in the aircraft remained high, and that the airline had not recorded any spike in cancellations since last week's incident with a Qantas A380 flying from Singapore to Sydney.
Qantas has released an updated schedule for its international network to ensure minimum disruption to passengers following the grounding of its Airbus A380 fleet.
Qantas said it is committed to bringing its A380s back into service "as soon as possible".
"This contingency schedule has been designed to provide certainty for customers planning to travel in the near future," an airline spokesman said.
Singapore Airlines, which took three Airbus A380 planes out of service on Wednesday, has not ruled out the possibility of grounding more of the superjumbos.
SIA chief executive Chew Choon Seng said, "We are in very close communication with the aircraft manufacturer and engine-maker.
"Even as they analyse the data, the observations, they come back to us with new recommendations. It is an ongoing, continuous process," he said.
With permission from Travelmole
Mmmm - I flew on a Singapore Airlines 380 just last Sunday in bound from Singapore to London.
It was rather enjoyable despite the knowledge at that time of the Qantas issues although Singapore are obviously finding their own issues!
Nivsy
It was rather enjoyable despite the knowledge at that time of the Qantas issues although Singapore are obviously finding their own issues!
Nivsy
A380 latest: Rolls Royce apologises
Qantas's fleet of A380 superjumbos could be on the ground much longer than was first thought as the aircraft undergo safety checks following last week's mid-air emergency.
Investigators have discovered the emergency was caused by an engine fault after a specific component failed in the turbine area of the engine. This caused an oil fire which led to the release of the intermediate pressure turbine disc.
Engine makers Rolls Royce has said it will fix this relatively minor problem, allowing all A380s back in the air evenrtually, and apologised for the disruption.
However, other airlines flying the A380 - although not with Rolls-Royce engines - are concerned that they may become victims of any bad press surrounding the Airbus superjumbo.
"We really don't want this aircraft tarnished with a reputation for failures in certain areas,'' said Emirates' president Tim Clark.
''One thing we will not allow is a contagion effect.''
Qantas has released a new international schedule for coming weeks that does not include A380s.
Airbus A330s will replace Boeing 747s on the Sydney-Tokyo and Sydney-Hong Kong routes, allowing the 747s to take over from the A380s on long-haul routes to Los Angeles and London.
The release of the schedule suggests Qantas is preparing for its A380s to be on the ground for some time.
With permission from Travelmole
Qantas's fleet of A380 superjumbos could be on the ground much longer than was first thought as the aircraft undergo safety checks following last week's mid-air emergency.
Investigators have discovered the emergency was caused by an engine fault after a specific component failed in the turbine area of the engine. This caused an oil fire which led to the release of the intermediate pressure turbine disc.
Engine makers Rolls Royce has said it will fix this relatively minor problem, allowing all A380s back in the air evenrtually, and apologised for the disruption.
However, other airlines flying the A380 - although not with Rolls-Royce engines - are concerned that they may become victims of any bad press surrounding the Airbus superjumbo.
"We really don't want this aircraft tarnished with a reputation for failures in certain areas,'' said Emirates' president Tim Clark.
''One thing we will not allow is a contagion effect.''
Qantas has released a new international schedule for coming weeks that does not include A380s.
Airbus A330s will replace Boeing 747s on the Sydney-Tokyo and Sydney-Hong Kong routes, allowing the 747s to take over from the A380s on long-haul routes to Los Angeles and London.
The release of the schedule suggests Qantas is preparing for its A380s to be on the ground for some time.
With permission from Travelmole
Qantas A380 cleared for take-off to London
Qantas is to put two of its six A380s back in the air.
The first service will fly on Saturday between Sydney and London via Singapore and will be the first flown by a QF A380 since the airline's superjumbos were grounded on November 4 after a Sydney-bound plane was forced to return to Singapore when one of its engines exploded in mid-air.
The A380s which serve the Los Angeles to Sydney and Los Angeles to Melbourbe routes will not resume yet as these require fuel tanks to be near capacity which means a higher thrust on take-off.
"We are completely comfortable with the operation of the aircraft," chief executive Alan Joyce said.
Qantas said the decision to restore A380 services follows an intensive Trent 900 engine inspection programme carried out in close consultation with Rolls-Royce and Airbus.
"Together with the engine and aircraft manufacturers and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), Qantas is now satisfied that it can begin reintroducing A380s to its international network progressively," said a statement from the airline.
Joyce said Qantas would have four of the A380s operating by Christmas and it would assess when and how best to deploy them.
"In line with its conservative approach to operational safety, Qantas is voluntarily suspending A380 services on routes that regularly require use of maximum certified engine thrust and will do so until further operational experience is gained or possible additional changes are made to engines," the QF statement added.
"This is an operational decision by Qantas and pilots still have access to maximum certified thrust if they require it during flight. It is not a manufacturer's directive."
With permission from Travelmole
Qantas is to put two of its six A380s back in the air.
The first service will fly on Saturday between Sydney and London via Singapore and will be the first flown by a QF A380 since the airline's superjumbos were grounded on November 4 after a Sydney-bound plane was forced to return to Singapore when one of its engines exploded in mid-air.
The A380s which serve the Los Angeles to Sydney and Los Angeles to Melbourbe routes will not resume yet as these require fuel tanks to be near capacity which means a higher thrust on take-off.
"We are completely comfortable with the operation of the aircraft," chief executive Alan Joyce said.
Qantas said the decision to restore A380 services follows an intensive Trent 900 engine inspection programme carried out in close consultation with Rolls-Royce and Airbus.
"Together with the engine and aircraft manufacturers and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), Qantas is now satisfied that it can begin reintroducing A380s to its international network progressively," said a statement from the airline.
Joyce said Qantas would have four of the A380s operating by Christmas and it would assess when and how best to deploy them.
"In line with its conservative approach to operational safety, Qantas is voluntarily suspending A380 services on routes that regularly require use of maximum certified engine thrust and will do so until further operational experience is gained or possible additional changes are made to engines," the QF statement added.
"This is an operational decision by Qantas and pilots still have access to maximum certified thrust if they require it during flight. It is not a manufacturer's directive."
With permission from Travelmole
Airlines to check cracks in Airbus A380
All airlines using the Airbus A380 - the world's biggest passenger aircraft - are advised to check their aircraft after cracks have been found in the wings.
Singapore Airlines, Qantas and Airbus admitted that they had discovered cracks reports the Daily Mail, but maintained that the aircraft were safe.
"We confirm that cracks were found on non-critical wing attachments on a limited number of A380s," an Airbus spokesperson said.
"We've traced the origin of these hairline cracks, and developed an inspection and repair procedure which can be done during routine maintenance."
UK engineers say that the cracks should encourage all airlines to check their aircraft but added that small cracks were unlikely to affect aircraft operation.
Philippa Oldham, head of transport at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers said: "The cracks detected by Qantas and Singapore Airlines on some of the wings Airbus A380 should lead to all airlines using the A380 to inspect their aircraft thoroughly.
"But these cracks are very small, will be monitored by the airline, and are unlikely to affect aircraft operation.
"Airlines approved by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) have very strict regulations and require there to be rigorous inspection procedures so an aircraft would not be allowed to fly unless it was deemed to be fully airworthy by the authority or their delegates."
In total, 67 Airbus A380s are in use worldwide on Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Air France, Lufthansa, Korean Airlines and China Southern.
The aircraft has been in service for five years.
With permission from Travelmole
All airlines using the Airbus A380 - the world's biggest passenger aircraft - are advised to check their aircraft after cracks have been found in the wings.
Singapore Airlines, Qantas and Airbus admitted that they had discovered cracks reports the Daily Mail, but maintained that the aircraft were safe.
"We confirm that cracks were found on non-critical wing attachments on a limited number of A380s," an Airbus spokesperson said.
"We've traced the origin of these hairline cracks, and developed an inspection and repair procedure which can be done during routine maintenance."
UK engineers say that the cracks should encourage all airlines to check their aircraft but added that small cracks were unlikely to affect aircraft operation.
Philippa Oldham, head of transport at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers said: "The cracks detected by Qantas and Singapore Airlines on some of the wings Airbus A380 should lead to all airlines using the A380 to inspect their aircraft thoroughly.
"But these cracks are very small, will be monitored by the airline, and are unlikely to affect aircraft operation.
"Airlines approved by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) have very strict regulations and require there to be rigorous inspection procedures so an aircraft would not be allowed to fly unless it was deemed to be fully airworthy by the authority or their delegates."
In total, 67 Airbus A380s are in use worldwide on Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Air France, Lufthansa, Korean Airlines and China Southern.
The aircraft has been in service for five years.
With permission from Travelmole
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