Qantas: Airbus engine failure may be ‘design issue’
Design issues may have caused engine failure on the Qantas Airbus A380, forcing an emergency landing, the airline said. Channel 4 News revealed yesterday there have been past engine safety warnings.
The Qantas plane made an emergency landing in Singapore on its way to Sydney yesterday when one of its engines shut down in mid air.
All 459 people on board, who described hearing a “massive bang”, were unhurt. The airline, Qantas, is now looking into what caused the incident with the double-decker plane’s manufacturer, Airbus, and the maker of the engines, Rolls-Royce.
It has grounded its A380 fleet while it looks into the problem, and other airlines are also checking their planes.
Channel 4 News revealed yesterday that the engines used on the Airbus A380 were identified as “potentially unsafe” weeks before the emergency landing.
In August, the European Aviation Safety Authority issued an Airworthiness Directive warning that increased wear on parts of the engine could “present a potential unsafe condition to the aeroplane.”
Design failure
Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said today: “We believe this is probably most likely a material failure or some sort of design failure.”
There were also problems shutting down the second engine when the plane landed, he confirmed, which were also being investigated.
'I was just waiting for us to start going down'
Passenger Tyler Wooster, from Melbourne, Australia, told Channel 4 News: "All of a sudden I heard a big shotgun-like bang, just a massive bang. It wasn't like a fire, it was just like the top split open and it became a little smoky. I could see the wires hanging out, it didn't look good.
"Everyone was shocked, everyone was wondering what was going to happen. I was just waiting for us to start going down. I could see the skin peeling off the wing - that was pretty nerve-wracking.
"After about three minutes the pilot told us we were running on three engines and everything was fine. Then we had to fly around in circles to get rid of fuel.
"When we landed we finished right on the end of the tarmac - it was a real uncomfortable landing. When we landed everyone was cheering and clapping."
Engine maker Rolls-Royce issued a statement urging operators of the aircraft to perform safety checks on its Trent 900 engines, which are in about half of the Airbus A380s. There are 37 in operation now, with more than 200 on order.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said there was no indication of foul plan causing the incident.
Channel 4 News spoke to Paul Cousins, President of the Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association, who said a problem with the engine was the “most likely scenario.”
He added: “Both Rolls Royce and Airbus will be taking a keen interest in what has gone on, and Qantas will make sure they have a keen interest, because when something like this happens it damages the reputation of all three organisations, and if there is a manufacturing defect it needs to be fixed,” he added. He also said maintenance was an issue.”