Qantas A380 skybound again as Lufthansa makes revelation

A Qantas A380 flew to London over the weekend after a safety inspection of its engines.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) recommended a detailed inspection. The ATSB’s report into the near-catastrophic disintegration of an engine suffered by Qantas flight QF32 over Indonesia last month has revealed that a faulty oil pipe on the A380’s Rolls-Royce engine could have been to blame.

A Qantas spokesman said similar checks were now being carried out on a second A380, which is expected to be flying soon. Importantly for Qantas, the ATSB report stated: “The ATSB is satisfied that the action taken by Qantas adequately addresses the immediate safety of flight concerns in respect of the operation of its A380 aircraft equipped with Trent 900 series engines”.

The preliminary report from the ATSB said the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine exploded about 7000 feet (2133 metres) above sea level.

Qantas is looking at legal avenues available against Rolls-Royce if it can’t settle amicably with the engine-maker. Unofficial estimates put the cost of the repair and the flow-on effects of grounding the Qantas A380 fleet at over AUD1 billion.

Qantas, British Airways and Singapore Airlines are the major users of the Roll-Royce Trent engine, but Lufthansa revealed over the weekend that it had been operating an Airbus SAS A380 with the suspect Rolls-Royce engine type for the past fortnight. The disclosure, carried by news agency Bloomberg, quoted a Lufthansa spokesman as saying the airline has been awaiting a modified version of the Trent 900 turbine.

The spokesman said the other 15 turbines on Lufthansa’s four A380 Model Airplane were not critical because they were from a newer batch. The German airline is continuing checks at least every 20 flight cycles as mandated by the European Aviation Safety Agency.

Qantas pilots saved the stricken Qantas flight over Singapore, it has emerged. The damage could have downed the plane and required expert skills to land the aircraft. It could have stalled in the air and fallen short of the runway or overshot the runway. Qantas pilots, yet again, made the right decisions and brought it down safely.

Written by Peter Needham

-------------------------------
Read more Aviation News
View Model Aircraft