Cracks found on wing ribs of Qantas and SIA A380s

[flee 5]

Cracks have been found on the wing ribs of at least three Airbus A380s belonging to Singapore Airlines and Qantas Airways.

 

Both carriers said the cracks were discovered in the second quarter of 2011, and that they have been repaired and posed no danger to flight safety.

 

The carriers' comments come a day after Airbus said "very small cracks" have been found on some "non-critical wing rib-skin attachments on a limited number of A380 aircraft".

 

Singapore Airlines said the cracks were first discovered during an A380 inspection last year.

 

"These pose no safety issue and repairs were carried out on the aircraft. Repairs were subsequently carried out on a second aircraft," said an SIA spokesman.

 

He added that the relevant authorities have been informed and checks and repairs will be done on other A380s as the aircraft undergo routine C checks. Both affected aircraft are back in operation.

 

Qantas meanwhile said that "minuscule cracking" was found on the wing ribs of the A380 that suffered an uncontained engine failure in November 2010. This aircraft is still in Singapore, where it made an emergency landing after the incident, and Qantas hopes it will return to service in March.

 

"Investigations have found that the cracking is unrelated to the engine failure incident experienced by this aircraft in November 2010 and is not unique to Qantas. It has now been repaired," said a Qantas Spokesman.

 

Airbus said that it has since developed an inspection and repair procedure which will be done during routine, scheduled four year maintenance checks for the A380s. It has informed all A380 operators and the European airworthiness authority is aware of the issue and has accepeted its recovery approach, said a spokesman.

 

"This is not a safety issue and aircraft performance is not affected. Any fix, if necessary, can be done during regular maintenance," Airbus added.

 

Source

[Hakan 2]

are they kidding while they says "very small cracks"? a lot of plane crashed by very small cracks problem in aviation history!

[xtemujin 0]

Third of Airbus A380s face checks -sources

 

 

PARIS | Fri Jan 20, 2012 7:13am EST

 

(Reuters) - European safety authorities are set to order airlines to carry out checks on almost a third of the current Airbus (EAD.PA) A380 fleet after the discovery of wing cracks on the world's largest jetliner, aviation sources said on Friday.

 

The one-off inspections are expected to affect superjumbo aircraft operated by Singapore Airlines (SIAL.SI), Dubai's Emirates and Air France (AIRF.PA).

 

The two-speed recommendation will call for urgent checks within a matter of days on a handful of the most heavily used aircraft, the sources said, asking not to be identified.

 

These have been subjected to at least 1,800 take-offs and landings, the part of the flight where the airframe endures the most stress.

 

A second category of around 20 aircraft that have carried out 1,300 to 1,799 flight cycles must be checked within six weeks. A flight cycle is one take-off and landing.

 

No aircraft will be grounded pending the checks, which involve taking an aircraft out of service for about 24 hours.

 

European safety agency EASA said it would issue its recommendations later on Friday.

 

Airbus declined to comment ahead of the EASA publication but said on Thursday it had found a solution to tiny cracks spotted in two sets of inspections and pledged to put safety first.

 

The second set of cracks on the double-decker aircraft's UK-made wings came to light on Thursday, two weeks after the problem first emerged during $130 million of repairs to a Qantas A380 that suffered an engine blowout in November 2010.

 

The A380 entered service in December 2007 with Singapore Airlines, followed by Emirates and Australia's Qantas (QAN.AX).

Other operators include Air France, Korean Air (003490.KS),

 

China Southern (600029.SS) and Germany's Lufthansa (LHAG.DE).

 

Airbus has sold 253 of the 525-seat aircraft, currently listed at $390 million each, and 68 are currently in service.

 

South Korea's Asiana Airlines (020560.KS), which plans to induct six A380s between 2014 and 2017, said it was not changing that schedule as yet, but it could reconsider depending on the outcome of investigations into the cracks.

 

Aircraft do not necessarily face inspections in the order they were delivered. Qantas, for example, uses the A380 on long Pacific routes with proportionately fewer take-offs and landings than those used on shorter runs.

 

Air France placed the giant A380 at first on the short hop between London and Paris in order to perfect cabin operations.

 

An Air France spokeswoman declined to comment ahead of the publication of EASA's airworthiness directive.

 

Emirates, the largest A380 customer, declined to comment. Singapore Airlines was not immediately avaiable for comment.

 

In a separate incident, Air France said an A380 bound for Montreal turned back over the Atlantic and returned to Paris with 448 people on board late on Thursday after a video screen overheated.

 

A spokeswoman denied a report of smoke in the cabin.

 

(Reporting by Tim Hepher, Harry Suhartono; Editing by James Regan)

 

http://www.reuters.c...E80I02920120120

Edited January 20, 2012 by xtemujin

[alberttky 0]

EASA orders wing checks on 20 A380s

 

 

 

 

 

European safety regulators have ordered inspection of 20 Airbus A380s to check for wing rib-foot damage, following the discovery of two different forms of cracks in the structure.

 

The aircraft affected are early-delivery airframes comprising 10 with Singapore Airlines, seven with Emirates, one with Air France and two Airbus test A380s.

 

In an airworthiness directive the European Aviation Safety Agency has ordered operators to conduct a detailed visual inspection of "certain" wing rib feet, and to report findings to Airbus.

 

The inspections are required within four days, if the A380 has already carried out 1,800 flights, and within six weeks if it has performed over 1,300 flights.

 

Any operator discovering cracks in the rib feet are required to contact Airbus for instructions.

 

EASA's directive follows the initial discovery of rib-foot cracks in a Qantas A380 - the aircraft involved in the November 2010 engine failure - and the subsequent discovery of a "more significant" and "new form" of rib-foot crack in a different aircraft, said the authority.

 

While the earlier rib-foot cracks originated from the rib to skin panel attachment holes, EASA said, the new form of crack originates from the forward and aft edges of the L-shaped rib foot's vertical section.

 

"It has been determined that the [new type of] cracks may develop on other aeroplanes after a period of time in service," the directive states. The inspections are an "interim" measure, it adds, and further mandatory actions "might be considered".

 

EASA's directive takes effect on 24 January. It has not been classified as an emergency action.

 

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/easa-orders-wing-checks-on-20-a380s-367175/

[Geoff R. 0]

You can read the AD here

 

http://ad.easa.europa.eu/ad/2012-0013

 

The scale of the problem won't be known until all the aircraft identified in the AD have been inspected but it will be interesting to find out how big these "very small" and "miniscule" cracks actually are when EASA say " The new form of cracking is more significant than the original rib foot hole cracking."

 

 

Geoff

[JuliusWong 0]

Now, Singapore Airlines is grounding their A380s phase by phase to check their A380s. First flight to be affected is SIN-ZRH:

 

From their FB status:

In accordance with a directive issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency requiring precautionary checks on brackets within the wings of certain Airbus A380 aircraft, Singapore Airlines will be carrying out checks on our aircraft. As such, some flights normally operated by A380s will be temporarily operated by other aircraft. Affected flights at this stage will include SQ346 from Singapore to Zurich and SQ345 from Zurich to Singapore, on 24, 25 and 26 January 2012. Flights over these three days will be operated with Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. There is no change to scheduled departure and arrival times.

 

We apologise for any inconvenience caused to our customers.

 

Pity those who have saved up for long time for this once in a lifetime chance....

[xtemujin 0]

Checks reveal more cracks in A380 wing part

 

By Tim Hepher

DUBLIN | Tue Jan 24, 2012 9:46pm EST

 

(Reuters) - Airbus (EAD.PA) faces more potential discomfort on the A380 superjumbo after industry sources said inspections ordered by European authorities had revealed the existence of more cracks on a wing component.

 

The European planemaker insists the world's largest passenger jet remains safe to fly, but the disclosure of further cracks on even a handful of wing components could delay efforts to end a sequence of niggling concerns over its performance.

 

European safety authorities ordered urgent inspections on just under a third of the superjumbo fleet last week after two types of cracks were discovered within weeks of each of other on the same type of part, an L-shaped bracket inside the wing.

 

Since then, similar cracks have been found inside the 9,100-square-foot wing of at least one of the superjumbos examined under the directive, industry sources told Reuters.

 

The latest findings came as it emerged that cracks on a bracket in another part of the wing were discovered two years ago. The problem was documented at the time but went unnoticed outside the industry.

 

Airbus insisted on Tuesday this was a different issue from the latest flaws and had been resolved. There are 2,000 brackets in each wing, which is constructed around a rib cage and attached to the wing's skeleton with brackets known as rib feet.

 

The most recent cracks surfaced in this type of bracket.

 

The crack spotted in 2010 showed up on a bracket in part of the wing specially designed to help the huge airliner climb more steeply at take-off and obey noise restrictions.

 

The original incident triggered compulsory checks in October 2010, but was dwarfed by the blowout of an engine on a Qantas (QAN.AX) A380 a few weeks later, which made global headlines.

 

This began a chain of events still being felt today.

 

It was during $130 million repairs -- lasting more than a year -- to the stricken Qantas airliner that the cracked rib feet were discovered. This in turn led to the discovery of a second and potentially more significant type of crack on the same type of bracket, triggering this week's inspections.

 

CONSTANT EVALUATION

 

The checks affect some 20 aircraft operated by Singapore Airlines (SIAL.SI), Dubai's Emirates and Air France (AIRF.PA), making up just under a third of the current A380 fleet.

 

Airlines have until Friday to complete a first phase of tests for the most heavily used category of aircraft, with at least 1,800 take-offs and landings.

 

Singapore Airlines (SIAL.SI), which was the first airline to introduce the A380 in December 2007, said inspections were underway on six aircraft covered by Friday's deadline.

 

"We will have a better overview of any findings upon completing the checks," a spokeswoman said.

 

Airbus declined to comment on any interim results but a spokesman said recent events showed that the industry's process of continuous evaluation, designed to catch and repair any faults before they become a hazard, was working smoothly.

 

"We have clear evidence that the airworthiness process is working," a spokesman for the EADS (EAD.PA) subsidiary said.

 

"An issue has been found, we reported it, we made a recommendation to our customers, EASA made it mandatory and the and the inspection and fix if necessary are both under way."

 

An Australian aircraft engineers' union has called on Airbus to ground all A380s, which sell for $390 million each.

 

Airbus and the European Aviation Safety Agency say the A380 remains safe to fly, but EASA also says that if left unchecked, the cracks could affect the jet's structural integrity.

 

Airbus and Boeing are governed by directives issued regularly by EASA or the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.

 

Developers say all aircraft have teething problems and most eventually develop cracks but experts can chart the number of directives to tell whether a model is a cause for concern.

 

A new aircraft will tend to generate more directives as a result of initial glitches and an older type will attract extra attention due to metal fatigue, with a plateau in between.

 

An EASA spokesman said the A380 was producing fewer bulletins than a normal aircraft of its age.

 

Airbus is however keen to avoid any further embarrassment and to allay concerns over its flagship aircraft.

 

The UK-designed and -manufactured wings, easily large enough for an adult to stand inside, where they join the fuselage, are the largest ever developed for a civilian passenger jet.

 

The A380 was developed in France, Germany, Britain and Spain at an estimated cost of 12 billion euros to compete with the Boeing 747 and establish Airbus as a challenger at the top end of the market, but has hit a series of production delays.

 

Airbus has sold 253 of the aircraft and 68 are in service.

 

(Editing by Dominique Vidalon and Jodie Ginsberg)

 

http://www.reuters.c...E80N1PZ20120125

Edited January 25, 2012 by xtemujin

[xtemujin 0]

More examples of A380 cracks, repairs under way

 

By Maria Sheahan

FRANKFURT | Tue Jan 31, 2012 5:27am EST

 

(Reuters) - Singapore Airlines (SIAL.SI) said on Monday it had found examples of recently identified wing cracks in all six of the Airbus A380s on which it carried out mandatory inspections, as a senior pilot issued reassurance over the superjumbo's safety.

 

The discovery of more instances of cracked wing components was expected after Airbus (EAD.PA) said last week it had found the problem and predicted that until it had time to conduct repairs, a consistent pattern would emerge in further tests.

 

The European planemaker and airlines insist the world's largest airliner is safe to fly, but are keen to move beyond the issue of small cracks in wing brackets that grabbed media attention and triggered compulsory checks last week.

 

The European Aviation Safety Agency ordered carriers to inspect almost a third of the global fleet of A380s, starting with six jets operated by Singapore Airlines, to check for one of two types of cracks that emerged in the space of weeks.

 

"We found cracks in all six," the airline's regional public relations manager for Europe, Peter Tomasch, said during a press event at Frankfurt Airport.

 

"Four we have repaired and they are flying again. The other two will follow in the coming days."

EASA ordered the most urgent checks on aircraft that had carried out at least 1,800 takeoffs and landings; the six Singapore Airlines aircraft fell into this category.

 

The agency gave airlines six weeks to perform checks on a second category of jets that had between 1,300 and 1,800 takeoffs and landings, and did not order checks on less heavily used aircraft.

 

BOEING UNLIKELY TO BENEFIT

 

Analysts say publicity over the cracks is unlikely to benefit Airbus rival Boeing (BA.N) in the short term as airlines base their decisions on whether to buy the $390 million jet on the economics of its anticipated performance over many years.

 

However, some say the problems for Airbus and parent EADS (EAD.PA) could deepen if the response diverts scarce engineering resources or passengers balk at flying on the jet. So far no airlines operating the A380 have reported any dip in bookings.

 

In a bulletin known as an airworthiness directive, EASA last week gave Singapore Airlines, Dubai's Emirates and Air France (AIRF.PA) six weeks to examine a further 14 aircraft.

 

In total, 68 superjumbos are in operation and a total of 253 have been sold.

 

Airbus says the cracks were discovered long before they posed a potential safety hazard, but it faces a bill for the checks and repairs which are being carried out at its expense.

 

"The inspection and repairs are well under way and continuing, in line with the airworthiness directive," a spokeswoman said.

"Airbus is supplying repair kits as well as providing technical and logistical support to our customers".

 

CRACKS BLAMED ON THREE ERRORS

 

Cracks on what Airbus describes as a handful of the 2,000 L-shaped brackets fixing exterior panels to the ribcage of each 9,100-square-foot wing first surfaced during repairs to a Qantas A380 that was damaged when an engine exploded in November 2010.

 

Those initial cracks were seen as a minor glitch in the aircraft's metallic frame, but regulators decided to act when their discovery led engineers to a second and potentially more significant type of crack on the same type of bracket.

 

Airbus said last week that having understood the problem, it expected most of the aircraft being tested would show similar evidence of cracks and that it had found a simple repair.

 

It blamed the cracks on three errors: designers' choice of aluminium alloy for some of the "rib feet" brackets, the use of a type of bolt that strained the metal and a way of closing tiny gaps that put too much stress on a handful of parts.

 

Besides the 24 hours required to empty fuel tanks and carry out visual inspections inside the UK-built wings, the largest ever made for a jetliner, no A380s have been grounded.

 

However, if unrepaired, the cracks could curtail the maximum service life allowed by regulators. After immediate repairs, Airbus plans to change the type of metal used to build the part.

 

PILOT REASSURANCE

 

Singapore Airlines' chief pilot for the A380, Captain Robert Ting, flew to Germany on Sunday in one of the six aircraft that had to be fixed as a result of mandatory inspections so far and sought to reassure future passengers over the aircraft's safety.

 

"I slept very well," he said, referring to his peace of mind during a rest period while a second crew flew the aircraft.

 

"We have very competent authorities, and a very competent Airbus," he told reporters in Frankfurt.

 

Ting piloted the first commercial A380 flight in 2007.

 

(Reporting by Maria Sheahan, Tim Hepher; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)

Edited January 31, 2012 by xtemujin

[xtemujin 0]

Airbus A380 wing checks extended

 

By Tim Hepher

KUALA LUMPUR | Wed Feb 8, 2012 6:52am EST

 

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - European air safety officials are preparing to extend checks for Airbus A380 wing cracks to the entire superjumbo fleet, sources close to the matter told Reuters on Wednesday.

 

The move to inspect all 68 A380s in service comes as Qantas Airways (QAN.AX) grounded one of its planes, saying engineers had found 36 wing cracks after the aircraft encountered severe turbulence.

 

By signalling that defects may be structural and widespread, the fleet-wide inspection order will refocus attention on flaws identified in flagship jets at both Airbus and Boeing (BA.N).

 

The aircraft makers maintain that their newest jets remain safe to fly after problems were caught at an early stage.

 

"This is an extension of a process already underway," said one of the sources, who asked not to be named. "An effective repair has been identified."

 

Airbus, a unit of European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co. (EAD.PA), declined to comment on the additional inspections. A spokesman for the European Aviation Safety Agency EASA.L was not immediately available.

 

The aviation watchdog last month ordered checks on one-third of the A380 fleet after cracks were found in a handful of the thousands of L-shaped brackets that fix each wing's exterior to the internal ribcage-like structure.

 

Inspectors had initially focused on 20 aircraft operated by Singapore Airlines (SIAL.SI), Air France (AIRF.PA) and Dubai's Emirates - which have logged the most A380 flights in the four years since the world's largest passenger plane entered service.

 

EASA has yet to set out a timetable for the new inspections, the sources said. Planes will be checked as they cross wear-and-tear thresholds at which the cracks become detectable.

 

Germany's Lufthansa (LHAG.DE), which has 8 A380 aircraft in operation, said its information, as yet unconfirmed, was that checks were being extended to make sure they took place before an A380 aircraft reaches 1,300 cycles of takeoff and landing.

 

The previous inspection ordered by EASA applied to aircraft that had already completed more than 1,300 flights.

 

"Our fleet is still young though, with our oldest A380 having completed around 900 cycles," spokesman Michael Lamberty said.

 

"That means we have room to manoeuvre to carry out checks one by one as part of normal maintenance, without having to cancel any A380 flights."

 

GLITCHES

 

Aircraft are designed with multiple safeguards to protect against the extreme stresses and temperature variations encountered during flight.

 

But premature glitches have recently embarrassed both Airbus and Boeing, which dominate the world jetliner market. The problems have raised fears of a consumer backlash of the kind that crippled Toyota (7203.T) when the Japanese car maker ordered millions of safety recalls in 2009-11.

 

While airlines have yet to report any fall in bookings related to the A380 cracks, several are monitoring the issue.

 

Boeing this week reported a manufacturing flaw on its 787 Dreamliner, the world's first commercial jet built mostly from composites, nine weeks after entry into service. Engineers found some delamination, or separation of baked composite fibres, in parts of the rear fuselage.

 

Jim Albaugh, the head of Boeing's commercial aircraft division, has said the problem would delay initial deliveries without undermining the company's full-year target.

 

UNUSUALLY EARLY PROBLEMS

 

Airbus has staked its future on the 12 billion euro A380 programme and is anxious to prevent publicity about the cracks denting confidence in its aircraft. With a list price of $390 million, the 525-seater is popular with passengers but has not sold as well as its designers expected.

 

The first barely visible A380 cracks surfaced during lengthy repairs to a Qantas jet whose wing was torn open by a mid-flight engine explosion in November 2010.

 

A second Qantas superjumbo was grounded after the discovery of two-centimetre (0.8 inch) cracks that were "traced back to a manufacturing issue", the Australian carrier said on Wednesday.

 

"These are not critical parts affecting safety any time soon," said Jean-Pierre Casamayou, editor-in-chief of Air et Cosmos, a French aerospace publication.

 

The Airbus and Boeing problems are nonetheless "worrying because it means neither manufacturer has been on top of everything," he said. "Both planes were two-to-three years late, and yet we're seeing these unusually early problems."

 

The wing cracks have overshadowed efforts by France-based Airbus to stabilise Europe's largest industrial project, which is not expected to turn a profit before 2015 after running significantly over-budget.

 

The aircraft maker now faces an additional bill for wing checks and repairs, as well as compensation for customers' lost business.

 

Airbus and Boeing invested heavily in their newest models, which reflect a divergence of strategy over the $100 billion jetliner market. Boeing bet on lighter planes to save fuel and open new long-haul routes, while Airbus initially put its faith in larger jets to meet steep traffic growth.

 

Airbus later began developing the carbon-fibre A350 to compete with the hot-selling 787, while Boeing is also updating its 747 jumbo to challenge the A380. Airbus has said it aims to deliver 30 of the double-deckers this year.

 

(Reporting by Tim Hepher; additional reporting by Victoria Bryan in Frankfurt; writing by Laurence Frost; Editing by Geert De Clercq and Jane Merriman)

 

http://www.reuters.c...E81701R20120208

Edited February 8, 2012 by xtemujin

[xtemujin 0]

Emirates to claim compensation from Airbus over A380 wing problems

 

Posted 10 March 2012

 

London's Financial Times claims that Emirates will be seeking compensation from manufacturer Airbus over the cracks in the wings of the A-380s.

 

As the world’s largest operator of the A380 with 21 in the fleet, Emirates is having to ground six aircraft at a time for the vital repairs to be made.

 

According to the FT, Emirates president Tim Clark, has said the airline expects to lose up to $90m of revenue by the end of March because of the A380 groundings that began in January.

 

Analyst Saj Ahmad agrees that the issue is a serious one for the Dubai airline.

 

"While Airbus has placed a 105m Euro charge on repairing the in-service A380 fleet, the ongoing costs to airlines for maintenance and indeed to Airbus' supply chain to enact design changes to the flawed wing brackets will reverberate for much longer.

 

“The A380 has entered its fifth year in service and issues as seen with the cracking wings points to either oversight in the design process where tolerances and longevity have been inaccurately calculated or simply because the design was rushed to counter the delays and excess weight that Airbus is still struggling to remove.

 

“Emirates is clearly right to be worried given that they are the biggest A380 customer. One that Airbus simply cannot afford to ignore. Tim Clark’s comments to the FT show immense displeasure and for a while, Airbus had been in outright denial of the crack problems on the A380 wings until the threat of a fleet grounding emerged, followed by a stern airworthiness directive from EASA.

 

The problems arose with the discovery of two types of cracks on an L-shaped bracket connecting the A380 wing skin to its ribbed frame.

 

The FT said that like Airbus, Clark says the A380 is safe to fly, but added: “From a commercial point of view, it’s a dreadful experience. It has caused a lot of commercial hardship and we are not very happy with the way this has gone.”

 

Emirates has found wing cracks on the 10 A380s that have been inspected so far, Clark said adding it was likely that all 21 would need remedial work.

 

Emirates has a further 69 A380s on order with Airbus.

 

http://www.arabianae...g-problems.html

Edited March 10, 2012 by xtemujin