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http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/qantas-flight-crisis-revealed-20101203-18jwx.html
Qantas flight crisis revealed
Andrew Heasley, Matt O'Sullivan
December 4, 2010
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A380 investigation blames failure on oil
Investigators confirm that an oil leak was the most likely cause of the mid-air disintegration of a superjumbo Rolls-Royce engine last month.
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AIR safety investigators have revealed the extent of the crisis faced by the crew of the Qantas A380 forced to make an emergency landing in Singapore after an engine explosion last month.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has handed down its first official account of the explosion, finding an oil fire inside the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine caused a heavy turbine disc to disintegrate and burst through the engine casing.
The investigators said that five minutes after takeoff from Singapore on November 4, the thrust from the superjumbo's No. 2 engine started to fluctuate, followed 10 seconds later by an explosion. Shrapnel tore through wiring and hydraulic lines to flight systems, knocked out the plane's satellite communications and caused a fuel leak, triggering a barrage of alarms in the cockpit.
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''Reverse thrust was only available from the No. 3 engine, no leading edge slats were available, there was limited aileron and spoiler control, anti-skid braking was restricted to the body landing gear only, there was limited nose wheel steering and the nose was likely to pitch up on touchdown,'' investigators reported.
The plane was 50 tonnes overweight as damage to the fuel system meant the crew could not jettison fuel. The flight computer indicated maximum braking could not be applied until the nose wheel was on the runway. That left pilots facing the prospect of being unable to stop the plane on the Changi Airport runway.
After the autopilot function faltered, Captain Richard de Crespigny decided to fly the stricken craft in manually from 1000 feet. He managed to get the main wheels down on the runway and the damaged front wheels six seconds later, and then threw the No. 3 engine into maximum reverse thrust, pulling up the aircraft with just 150 metres to spare.
ATSB chief commissioner Martin Dolan said the aircraft would not have landed safely ''without the focused and effective action of the flight crew''.
Qantas flight crisis revealed
Andrew Heasley, Matt O'Sullivan
December 4, 2010
Your video format settings have been saved.
A380 investigation blames failure on oil
Investigators confirm that an oil leak was the most likely cause of the mid-air disintegration of a superjumbo Rolls-Royce engine last month.
* Video feedback
* Video settings
Video will begin in 1 seconds.
AIR safety investigators have revealed the extent of the crisis faced by the crew of the Qantas A380 forced to make an emergency landing in Singapore after an engine explosion last month.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has handed down its first official account of the explosion, finding an oil fire inside the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine caused a heavy turbine disc to disintegrate and burst through the engine casing.
The investigators said that five minutes after takeoff from Singapore on November 4, the thrust from the superjumbo's No. 2 engine started to fluctuate, followed 10 seconds later by an explosion. Shrapnel tore through wiring and hydraulic lines to flight systems, knocked out the plane's satellite communications and caused a fuel leak, triggering a barrage of alarms in the cockpit.
Advertisement: Story continues below
''Reverse thrust was only available from the No. 3 engine, no leading edge slats were available, there was limited aileron and spoiler control, anti-skid braking was restricted to the body landing gear only, there was limited nose wheel steering and the nose was likely to pitch up on touchdown,'' investigators reported.
The plane was 50 tonnes overweight as damage to the fuel system meant the crew could not jettison fuel. The flight computer indicated maximum braking could not be applied until the nose wheel was on the runway. That left pilots facing the prospect of being unable to stop the plane on the Changi Airport runway.
After the autopilot function faltered, Captain Richard de Crespigny decided to fly the stricken craft in manually from 1000 feet. He managed to get the main wheels down on the runway and the damaged front wheels six seconds later, and then threw the No. 3 engine into maximum reverse thrust, pulling up the aircraft with just 150 metres to spare.
ATSB chief commissioner Martin Dolan said the aircraft would not have landed safely ''without the focused and effective action of the flight crew''.
