SYDNEY, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Qantas Airways chief executive Alan Joyce has said an engine failure on an A380 superjumbo should be blamed on the engine's design and had nothing to do with the airline's operations.
New warning over A380 engines Craig Platt, Andrew Heasley
December 2, 2010 - 10:55AM
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has issued a new safety warning over Airbus A380 engines after a new manufacturing defect was discovered.
The warning comes ahead of the ATSB's preliminary report into the engine failure of Qantas flight QF32 over Indonesia last month.
The newly discovered defect, which relates to an oil tube connection in the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine, is believed to be the cause of the engine failure of flight QF32.
The problem is caused by the 'off-axis' boring of the oil tube that supplies the engine bearing with oil, resulting in a thinning of the material on one side that "could lead to fatigue cracking, oil leakage and potential engine failure from an oil fire", the ASTB said.
A380s with Rolls-Royce engines will again be required to undergo careful examination by the airlines that use them: Qantas, Singapore Airlines and Lufthansa.
Qantas grounded its fleet of A380s following the engine failure on November 4. Two A380s have since returned to service.
The problem has been found in the first series of Trent 900 Rolls-Royce engines, dubbed 'modification A'.
Three of these engines have been removed from service by Qantas.
Qantas will begin examinations this afternoon on later 'B' series engines to check for evidence of the flaw using 3D-imaging equipment. Rolls-Royce has told Qantas its most up-to-date 'C' series engines are not affected.
It is not yet known whether Qantas or the other airlines will be required to ground their A380 fleets.
Qantas said the discovery of the defect "appears to provide a more definitive explanation for the engine failure that occurred on QF32."
Qantas said it did not anticipate at this stage that the inspections will have an impact on international services, but that contingency arrangements will be in place, if needed.
The ATSB is believed to be making last-minute changes to its preliminary investigation report into the QF32 incident to reflect the new information.
ATSB chief commissioner Martin Dolan will tomorrow present the information gleaned so far and the key safety issues resulting from the investigation to date.
QANTAS has launched a pre-emptive legal strike on Rolls-Royce over the fallout from last month's midair explosion of an Airbus A380 engine.
The airline has won the right to sue the engine maker in Australia for compensation, which some in the industry say could go well beyond $100 million.
The airline was savouring its court victory just hours after safety regulators slapped new inspection requirements on the troubled Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine, due to a manufacturing defect.
Advertisement: Story continues below
The airline was successful in its Federal Court action yesterday, where it filed a statement of claim to preserve its right to sue Rolls-Royce under Australia's Trade Practices Act, heading off any bid by the engine maker to shift the matter to British courts if settlement talks break down.
''Today's action allows Qantas to keep all options available to the company to recover losses, as a result of the grounding of the A380 fleet and the operational constraints currently imposed on A380 services,'' the airline said.
Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce yesterday confirmed talks over compensation from Rolls-Royce had begun.
All opinions shared are my own, and are not necessarily those of my employer or any other organisation of which I'm affiliated to.
Anyone know what QF's plans are for their A380 stuck at Changi ?. I saw it the other day remote parked with all it's engines missing so I presume it won't be going anywhere soon.
VH-OQA is seen here (30 April 2011) Without its engines and quite a large amount of paint scrapped from the tail.
I believe that's the hi speed tape pasted on the rudders to prevent them from moving in the wind. On a sidenote, OQB paid its sister a prolonged visit a few weeks ago when it was grounded in SIN when one of its hydraulic pumps malfunctioned and it lost a massive amount of hydraulic fluid.
I believe that's the hi speed tape pasted on the rudders to prevent them from moving in the wind. On a sidenote, OQB paid its sister a prolonged visit a few weeks ago when it was grounded in SIN when one of its hydraulic pumps malfunctioned and it lost a massive amount of hydraulic fluid.
I saw it as well It was taken on the 22nd of April.
On a sidenote, OQB paid its sister a prolonged visit a few weeks ago when it was grounded in SIN when one of its hydraulic pumps malfunctioned and it lost a massive amount of hydraulic fluid.
Not another one. How long was that grounded for ?.
Comment