Sydney-bound Qantas jetliner returns to SIN

[Radzi 2]

Maybe they need to avoid a jinx by not flying to SIN!

 

Maybe MAB can talk to QF about the jinx.

[flee 5]

QF should advertise their flights out of SIN as SIN-SIN. That way, there will be no need to pay for resfreshments and hotels when the plane comes back to SIN.

[Ikman Ikreza 0]

Maybe failure because of Mount Merapi eruption?

Edited November 6, 2010 by Ikman Ikreza

[Nicholas Wan 0]

Qantas = Quite A Nice Trip, All Survived!

[alberttky 0]

Maybe failure because of Mount Merapi eruption?

 

Didn't even get far enough to smell the ash.

[Cheng Long 0]

Qantas = Quite A Nice Trip, All Survived!

 

It depends on the type of person you are.. Others will say Qantas = Quite A Nasty Trip, All Scared!

[Sri Ramani K. 0]

I'm no A380 expert, but perhaps Engine 2 supplies hydraulic power to the landing gears. Would any A380 experts please confirm?

 

Upon further checking I found these.

 

The A380 has four engine-driven pumps (two per engine) pressurizing each hydraulic system (total of 8 EDPs)

- the pumps of engine 1 and 2 pressurizes the GREEN hydraulic system

- the pumps of engine 3 and 4 pressurizes the YELLOW hydraulic system.

- also was told that any two pumps (per engine) is sufficient for pressurizing any one system (5000psi)

 

GREEN system powers the NLG , Wing LG, and their associated doors whereas the YELLOW system powers the Body LG and its doors.

[flee 5]

The A380 also has two electrical systems to back up the hydraulic ones. So I wonder why the backups did not really work. Having said that, the A380 survived the engine failure. Whether this is due to luck or by design would be something that the air accident investigators will have to determine.

[Naim 6]

Maybe they need to avoid a jinx by not flying to SIN!

 

 

Maybe Capt de Crespigny & gang *are* the jinx.

 

 

===

 

'Not again!': Unlucky pilot and crew grounded after SECOND Qantas engine 'explodes'

 

By Richard Shears

Last updated at 9:05 AM on 6th November 2010

 

The hero pilot and cabin crew involved in a dramatic jet failure this week were forced to return to Singapore again today after a second Qantas flight was hit by engine trouble.

 

Passengers screamed and air crew shouted for them to adopt the crash position after flames or sparks were seen coming from the engine of a Qantas flight leaving Singapore airport.

 

After calmly landing an A380 superjet that experienced a dramatic mid-air explosion earlier this week, Captain Richard de Crespigny again failed to travel to Sydney today, as he and his cabin crew witnessed a second Qantas explosion, this time as passengers.

 

The 747 jumbo ran into trouble 20 minutes after take-off on its way to Sydney when passengers heard a loud bang and saw flames or sparks coming from an engine.

 

QF6 immediately returned to Singapore airport and made a safe landing.

 

Captain de Crespigny and the cabin crew from the superjet involved in the first engine failure were travelling as passengers on the 747 aircraft, making their second attempt to fly to Sydney.

 

It is believed that some of the passengers from the superjet were also on the jumbo jet.

 

Captain de Crespigny has been hailed a hero for the way he handled the crisis on the A380 superjet, assuring passengers that the aircraft was under control and that after dumping fuel it would land in Singapore.

 

The superjet made what one passenger described as 'one of the smoothest landings I have experienced.'

 

The brave aviator and the cabin crew are now making their third attempt to return to Australia.

 

The second crisis came as Qantas was celebrating its 90th anniversary - and shortly before actor John Travolta, the ambassador-at-large for the airline, arrived in Sydney to join in the celebrations.

 

....

 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1327147/Passengers-scream-second-Qantas-jet-engine-trouble.html#ixzz14UsV6Avz

[flee 5]

QF's A380s are maintained by Lufthansa Teknik. Not sure where the B747s are maintained though.

[BC Tam 2]

QF's A380s are maintained by Lufthansa Teknik. Not sure where the B747s are maintained though.

Someone in Hong Kong apparently, according to the finger pointing quoted in Doc Naim's reply #33

"A bigger (incident) we have seen of late is, last year they had three engines on a 747 that weren't bolted correctly to the wings and they flew ... this aircraft for a month or so after a maintenance check in Hong Kong."

[flee 5]

Qantas A380 likely lost engine disk

The number two engine on the Qantas Airways A380 involved in Thursday's incident likely lost its engine rotor disk, Qantas general manager David Epstein confirms.

 

"There doesn't appear to be a disk there at the moment. Virtually that entire area, the intermediate chamber of the engine, has disappeared," he says.

 

Although local footage shows engine parts landed on Indonesia, Epstein says Qantas has not had access to the debris.

 

He adds that the Indonesian transportation safety board only recently "managed to get the Indonesian police to secure custody of just about everything they found".

 

Qantas flight QF32 experienced an uncontained engine failure approximately six minutes en route to Sydney from Singapore, forcing it to turn back to Changi Airport. During the failure the engine cowling fell off. Engine cases have to be designed to contain a failed blade but not a failed turbine disk, according to the US National Transportation Safety Board.

 

"The risk of an unconfined disk failure is mitigated by designing disks as safety-critical parts, defined as the parts of the engine whose failure is likely to present a direct hazard to the aircraft," the NTSB said in a safety recommendation brief earlier this year.

 

Epstein was unable to confirm if the aircraft, VH-OQA, lost its green hydraulic system as a result of the uncontained failure. During landing at Singapore only half the aircraft's spoilers appeared to be working, engine number one reportedly could not be shut down, and gear doors were fully open - malfunctions suggesting an inoperative green hydraulic system.

 

"We haven't been able to verify that because the flight data recorders are now in the possession of the Australian Transportation Safety Board," Epstein says.

 

Source: http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/11/06/349412/qantas-a380-likely-lost-engine-disk.html

 

Qantas to change engines on two A380s

Qantas Airways will change two Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engines on its A380 aircraft as a result of ongoing inspections following the fleet's grounding on Thursday.

 

The number three engine on an A380, registration VH-OQC, will be changed after an inspection in Sydney found abnormalities including an oil leak, say sources familiar with the matter. Another Qantas A380 currently grounded in Los Angeles will have one of its engines changed due to unspecified problems.

 

The abnormalities in the number three engine of VH-OQC could have potentially led to a repeat of Thursday's incident on QF32, sources say.

 

Qantas could not be reached for comment. Earlier today Qantas general manager David Epstein said Qantas and Rolls-Royce engineers were inspecting engines one-by-one on three A380s in Los Angeles and one in Sydney. Each engine takes up to eight hours to inspect.

 

The carrier's fifth A380 is undergoing a scheduled C-check at Lufthansa Technik in Frankfurt while the sixth A380, the aircraft involved in Thursday's incident, is undergoing a separate inspection.

 

Inspections for the carrier's serviceable A380s may not be complete for a number of days, Epstein says. He warns repair periods "could take some time".

 

Further delays may occur if the demand for spare engines exceeds worldwide spares, Epstein says. "As far as engines go, there are not a lot of Trent [900] engines around the world." Airlines worldwide have taken delivery of only 20 Trent-powered A380 aircraft, according to Flightglobal's ACAS database.

 

In Thursday's incident, Qantas' A380 VH-OQA experienced an uncontained failure in its number two engine approximately six minutes after departing Singapore's Changi Airport for Sydney. Debris struck the aircraft's port wing and fell over Indonesia.

 

The aircraft safely returned to Singapore but with only half of its ailerons working, footage from the incident shows. Additionally, the crew were not able to control the number one engine, leading firefighters to hose down the engine to forcibly shut it down.

 

Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce says one aircraft could return to service as early as tomorrow. "We are hopeful it is within days [that] the A380 fleet will start flying again. We are happy to proceed if no adverse findings come out of [inspections from] those jets."

 

Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines also operate A380 aircraft with Rolls-Royce engines. Singapore Airlines says it inspected its 11 A380 aircraft and cleared them to return to service. Lufthansa says it is inspecting its three A380s.

 

Engine Alliance powers the Air France and Emirates A380s.

 

As a result of the grounding Qantas has delayed some A380 flights, swapped aircraft, and charted aircraft from fellow OneWorld carrier British Airways.

 

Source: http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/11/06/349411/qantas-to-change-engines-on-two-a380s.html

Edited November 6, 2010 by flee

[Cornelis Boersma 0]

QF's A380s are maintained by Lufthansa Teknik. Not sure where the B747s are maintained though.

 

I know they also have a maintenance base at Geelong Avalon near Melbourne

[Sharil Abdul Rahman 0]

Apparently ANOTHER Qantas plane was forced to land - this time it was at LHR.

 

suspected hydraulic problem, but after checked its all ok apparently.

 

Qantas's third strike? and its out?

[Ignatius 4]

The Media's microscope on Qantas has been upgraded to an electron microscope picking up just about any tiny miny incident on poor Aussie Skipper.

[Ja Singh 2]

Qantas has found issues with three more Rolls-Royce jet engines on its grounded Airbus A380 fleet, dashing the likelihood of their early return to service.

 

Two engines -- on aircraft in Sydney and Los Angeles -- have been taken off for closer inspection as a result of the eight-hour tests Rolls-Royce recommended, Fairfax newspapers say.

 

It now seems increasingly unlikely that the grounding of the fleet will be limited to the 48 hours outlined by chief executive Alan Joyce on Friday, Fairfax says.

 

Thousands of people will experience delays as the airline shuffles its fleet to cover the grounded A380s, spokesman Simon Rushton said.

 

The airline has one A380 in Singapore under investigation, one in Germany for servicing, one in Sydney and three in Los Angeles undergoing checks after the midair engine explosion on QF32 on Thursday.

 

Qantas will not say what the nature of the issues is, or whether the three engines are being examined for the same matters.

 

"It's things that might apply to different components. I can't be more specific than that," Mr Rushton said.

 

He said reports that the inspection of the Sydney plane's engines centred on the intermediate-pressure turbine bearings were incorrect.

The engine explosion on QF32 from Singapore to Sydney on Thursday, the overheated engine on QF6 on Friday from Singapore and the cockpit warning of a hydraulic problem on QF29 from Hong Kong to London on the same day has overshadowed what should have been a weekend of celebration for Qantas's 90th anniversary.

[Johan Z 0]

QF's A380s are maintained by Lufthansa Teknik. Not sure where the B747s are maintained though.

 

From what I gather, they are maintained in Singapore and Hong Kong.

[Naim 6]

~ “On three of the engines what we found is slight anomalies – oil where oil shouldn’t be on the engines" ~

 

===

 

Qantas finds problem with oil in engines

The airline Qantas has disclosed that it has identified a problem with oil in the engines powering some of its planes.

 

By Laura Roberts and Nick Collins

Published: 12:42AM GMT 08 Nov 2010

 

...

 

READ ON HERE: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/8116469/Qantas-finds-problem-with-oil-in-engines.html

[Ja Singh 2]

From what I gather, they are maintained in Singapore and Hong Kong.

 

The A380 in question recently underwent its first heavy maintenance check by Lufthansa Technik in Germany, and Rolls Royce engines were overhauled at Rolls Royce facilities, Mr Joyce said.

 

"To suggest that Lufthansa and Rolls Royce do not have the expertise and experience to undertake the highest quality aircraft and checks is ludicrous," Mr Joyce said.

 

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/qantas-and-union-argue-over-maintenance-20101105-17gr9.html

Edited November 8, 2010 by jadivindra

[JuliusWong 0]

Just came in...LH, QF and SQ are now doing engines swapping. Problems are detected in some engines....Not a very good sign for RR...

[Pieter C. 5]

Qantas to remove other A380 engines as a result of inspections

 

November 8, 2010

 

Qantas will change out at least three Rolls-Royce Trent 900s on two Airbus A380s, while Lufthansa and Singapore will change two engines as a result of inspections resulting from the uncontained failure on a QF A380 last Thursday.

 

Qantas has confirmed that the failure occurred in the intermediate pressure turbine. It marks the second major failure of a Trent engine in three months. On Aug. 2, a Trent 1000 on a testbed at Rolls’ Derby test facility experienced an uncontained failure. In that incident, sources say an oil fire broke out within the engine during high-power test runs and subsequent heating is understood to have weakened the pressure shaft which failed, resulting in an unconstrained turbine which went to over-speed and disintegrated.

 

Interestingly, the burn marks visible on the A380 engine cowling indicate an oil fire and the intermediate pressure turbine shattered with half of the disc recovered on Bantam Island. That piece of wreckage is now on its way to the UK with Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigators and authorities appealing for the rest of the wreckage to be turned in. The investigation is focusing on both design and material issues of the engine say the sources. Rolls has declined to comment on any possible similarities between the two events.

 

European safety authorities issued an Airworthiness Directive on the Trent 900 earlier this year but apparently that was complied with and is unrelated to the recent events, Qantas claims.

 

Qantas has its six A380s spread across the globe. Three A380s are in Los Angeles, one is in Frankfurt, another is in Sydney and the crippled aircraft is in Singapore. Engineers are working around the clock on a series of complex tests to ensure each engine is safe for operations before QF will re-commence A380 operations.

 

Prior to the grounding, the fleet conducted 50 departures per week out of a total of 613 international departures. QF continues to strive to clear passengers using chartered aircraft from British Airways and by booking some passengers on other airlines.

 

Separately, a Rolls-Royce RB211-powered QF Boeing 747-400 experienced an inflight engine shutdown after departure from Singapore to Sydney on Friday night. In an ironic twist, the flight deck crew from the A380 that suffered the uncontained failure the previous day were among the passengers on the 747-400.

[Ikman Ikreza 0]

In Utusan Malaysia paper..

 

Roll Royce akui enjinnya punca A380 Qantas mendarat cemas

09/11/2010 2:31am

 

 

LONDON 9 Nov. - Insiden pesawat Airbus A380 milik Qantas Airways yang melakukan pendaratan cemas penuh dramatik di Singapura minggu lalu secara “spesifik” disebabkan oleh enjin Trent 900 Rolls Royce, kata pengeluar enjin pesawat udara British itu, semalam.

 

Rolls Royce dalam satu kenyataan di sini berkata, keputusan siasatan, semakan bersiri dan pemeriksaan telah bersetuju dengan Airbus, pembuat kapal terbang gergasi dan dengan pihak berkuasa penerbangan.

 

“Rolls Royce telah memahami punca kerosakan enjin pada Trent 900 yang digunakan oleh pesawat A380 Qantas penerbangan Q32 pada 4 November. Kini jelas insiden itu spesifik kepada enjin Trent 900,” kata kenyataan itu.

 

Syarikat itu juga menegaskan bahawa ini adalah kegagalan pertama bagi satu enjin sivil terbesarnya sejak 1994.

 

“Kami bekerjasama secara erat dengan Airbus, para pelanggan kami dan pihak berkuasa serta sentiasa menitikberatkan keselamatan sebagai prioriti utama kami,” kata kenyataan itu. - DPA

 

Source : http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2010&dt=1109&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Terkini&pg=bt_05.htm

[Pieter C. 5]

This might be a copy of the above article, but since I don't understand BM, here's another one in English...

 

Qantas A380s remain grounded as new oil leaks discovered; Rolls sees progress in investigation

 

November 9, 2010

 

Qantas will keep its Airbus A380 fleet grounded until at least Wednesday as it focuses on whether newly discovered oil leaks may hold the clue to the catastrophic failure of the No. 2 Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine last Thursday.

 

“The A380 fleet will remain out of service for at least 72 hours," QF CEO Alan Joyce said on Monday. "We will not be operating the fleet until we’re 100% sure that we can ensure the safety of our operations going forward.”

 

Joyce said the finding of the oil leaks in other QF A380 engines had focused the investigation. However, he added that investigations into different areas of the engine would continue “in order to rule out other potential issues.” Joyce said the engines in which the leaks were found "have been removed from the aircraft in question and Rolls-Royce is using those engines to test and look for the causes of the QF32 incident last week.” The leaks “were beyond normal tolerances,” he said.

 

Separately, Rolls-Royce said in a statement that it, "has made progress in understanding the cause of the engine failure" and that the incident "is specific to the Trent 900 engine," and unconnected to the test-stand failure of a Trent 1000 that occurred in August. Rolls noted that the Trent 900 incident "is the first of its kind to occur on a large civil Rolls-Royce engine since 1994. Since then Rolls-Royce has accumulated 142 million hours of flight on Trent and RB211 engines."

 

Referring to the incident involving the Trent 1000 for the 787, the company said it occurred "with an engine operating outside normal parameters. We understand the cause and a solution has been implemented."

 

The use by QF of the highest thrust version of the Trent 900 on its A380s for its flights across the Pacific is thought to have been a possible factor in the incident. Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines operate the 70,000 lb. thrust engine, while QF uses the 72,000 lb. thrust model, with industry observers suggesting a link between the higher thrust and the leaks. QF operates its A380s on the longest routes from Los Angeles to Melbourne and Sydney nonstop which requires additional take-off thrust to carry the extra fuel.

Lufthansa and SIA have found no issues with their Trent 900s. Although SQ did perform an engine change after the QF incident, it was unrelated to the inspections. Lufthansa has said that it has not performed any changes.

 

Joyce added that QF will discuss compensation from Rolls-Royce once the A380s are flying again.

.

[Naim 6]

Any news on the 2 unlucky persons injured on the ground, hit by debris?

[Pieter C. 5]

Any news on the 2 unlucky persons injured on the ground, hit by debris?

 

Where did you get that from, Doc ? This is news to me !!!

 

Qantas Reviews The Way It Runs A380s

 

November 9, 2010

 

Qantas is reviewing the way it operates its A380 planes after last week's engine blowout, a source said on Tuesday, amid reports that it worked its Rolls-Royce engines harder than other airlines.

 

Qantas operates its A380 engines at higher thrust levels, which could result in resonating vibrations that cause oil lines to crack, The Australian newspaper said.

 

The higher maximum thrust setting is used on some Qantas A380 take-offs on long-haul routes between Los Angeles, Sydney and Melbourne than other operators such as Singapore Airlines, the daily said, quoting unnamed engineers.

 

However, the extra thrust setting of 72,000 pounds remained 3,000 pounds below the engine's design limits and within operating guidelines, it added.

 

Chief Executive Alan Joyce said on Monday that its engines had a "slightly higher level of power" than those used in Singapore Airlines or Lufthansa planes, but they were certified to operate at those levels.

 

The way Qantas operated the engines was part of a wider review, said an airline source, who was not authorised to talk publicly about the matter.

 

"The operations are one of the things Qantas are reviewing along with the components," said the source.

 

Qantas, which declined to comment on the report, said on Friday it suspected a material failure or a design issue may have caused last Thursday's engine failure over Indonesia which forced the aircraft to make an emergency landing in Singapore.

 

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

 

Qantas said on Monday it would ground its six A380 aircraft until at least Thursday as investigations continued, with Rolls-Royce saying it had made progress in understanding the cause of the failure of its Trent 900 engine.

 

Qantas's A380 planes account for about 7.5 percent of the airline's seat capacity, according to analysts. JPMorgan analyst Matt Crowe estimated that each week the planes were on the ground would cost the airline AUD$15 million - AUD$20 million (USD$15.2 million - USD$20.3 million) in revenue.

The impact was expected to be well below a volcanic ash cloud in April which forced Qantas to cancel all Europe-bound flights for around two weeks and had a AUD$46 million impact on the airline's profits.

 

The airline was hit with a further setback on Monday night when a violent storm grounded some flights out of Sydney airport.

 

A Qantas spokeswoman said three international flights were diverted, 13 domestic flights cancelled and seven diverted.

(Reuters)

.