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Contact photographer Terry Wade
What: Jetblue Airbus A320-200, en route from Fort Lauderdale,FL to Santo Domingo
Where: Fort Lauderdale
When: Dec 20 2010
Why: After takeoff, the crew noticed substantial structural vibration of the plane’s airframe.
They decided to return to Fort Lauderdale and made a safe landing.
A replacement jet was provided.
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Contact photographer Olaf Wagner
What: Germanwings Airbus A319-100 en route from Vienna to Cologne
Where: Cologne
When: Dec 19th 2010
Why: On landing in Cologne, smoke in the cockpit sent pilots to the hospital. The smoke is so far unexplained.
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Contact photographer John Richard Thomson
What: Jetstar Airbus A330 en route from Denpasar Bali to Melbourne
Where: Adelaide
When: Dec 19 2010,
Who: 226 passengers, 11 crew
Why: While en route, the right engine developed problems. Pilots announced to the passengers that they were experiencing engine problems.
The flight diverted to Adelaide and made a safe landing. Four hours after landing, passengers were provided alternative flights. However yesterday, weather in Australia also caused problems in Melbourne, including travel delays and at least one lightning strike.
Qantas has owned the jet since 2008, although it is new to the Jetsar fleet.
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Contact photographer Peter Nowacki
What: Air Canada Airbus 320-200 en route from Toronto to Miami
Where: Miami
When: Dec 16 2010
Why: On landing in Miami, the Airbus suffered a bird strike causing minor damage to the airframe. No one was injured except the hawk.
What: A-310 Airbus en route to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Where: Stephenville International Airport, Canada
When: Dec 16, 2010
Who: 8 crew
Why: Overheating batteries convinced a pilot to land the privately owned airbus at Stephenville International Airport.
After landing, members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police met the jet on the tarmac. The crew will be staying at local hotels until the plane is repaired.
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Contact photographer Mehdi Nazarinia
What: Tiger Airways Airbus A320-200 en route from Melbourne to Perth
Where: Melbourne
When: Dec 10th 2010
Who: 159 passengers
Why: After takeoff, the plane’s right engine emitted an explosive noise. After the crew shut down the engine, they returned to Melbourne and made a safe landing. Passengers were rerouted; the plane was grounded until the 17, and the affected engine was replaced.
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Contact photographer Timo Jäger
What: Bulgaria Air Airbus A320-200 en route from Sofia to Moscow
Where: Sofia
When: Dec 10 2010
Who: 29 passengers and 7 crew
Why: On takeoff, part of the engine fell off, and the affected engine began leaking. The crew reported the problem and returned to Sofia to make a safe landing. A replacement jet was provided.
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Contact photographer
What: Kuwait Airways Airbus 340-300 en route from Kuwait City (Kuwait) to London Heathrow
Where: Kuwait
When: Dec 6th 2010
Why: On takeoff from Kuwait City, the plane could not retract the landing gear. According to Al Abdulkarim, the procedure was routine, not an emergency. The crew returned to the airport, made a safe landing, and the problem was promptly repaired. The problem was apparently in the indicator, not the plane. After the warning light was repaired, the flight took off again within hours.
This is the third time in two months that Kuwait Airways made an emergency landing after take-off.
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Contact photographer Markus Altmann
What: TAP Air Portugal Airbus A340-300 en route from Lisbon to Luanda
Where: Lisbon
When: Dec 6 2010
Why: En route over the airport, the crew received a fuel filter error message, and returned to Lisbon to make a safe landing. The flight circled for an hour and dumped fuel; and was back in the air on Tuesday.
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Contact photographer Mario Aurich
What: Lufthansa Airbus A319-100 en route from LH-2557 from Tbilisi to Munich
Where: Tbilisi Georgia
When: Dec 6th 2010
Who: 66 passengers
Why: While en route, the pilots found the cabin pressure was inconsistent. They returned to Tbilisi and made a safe landing. Passengers were provided alternative transportation.
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Contact photographer Mario Aurich – AirTeamImages
What: Jetblue Airbus A320-200 from Hartford to Fort Lauderdale
Where: Fort Lauderdale
When: Dec 2nd 2010 6:10 pm
Why: The flight was landing in Fort Lauderdale when there was a bird strike which damaged the flaps. A replacement plane was provided for the return flight.
The Qantas A380 Rolls Royce engine failure was due to a (fatigue) cracked tube. The Australian Trade Practices Act allows Qantas to pursue a legal solution against rolls Royce, especially as it appears they were aware of engine problems (fatigue cracking in the thin side of an unevenly bored oil tube) but did not inform Qantas. If there were flawed oil tubes on the earliest “A-version” Trent 900s, have some of these survived in lagter models? Qantas no longer uses A version engines.
Good for Qantas, if they are going to sue.
Now the passengers should sue Quantas for the close miss to a possible tragedy and for the mental stress.
The Australian Report:
Manufacturing problem potential factor in QF32 engine failure
Date: 02 December 2010
The ATSB has issued a safety recommendation about potential engine problems in some Airbus A380 aircraft.
The safety recommendation identifies a potential manufacturing defect with an oil tube connection to the high-pressure (HP)/intermediate-pressure (IP) bearing structure of the Trent 900 engine installed in some A380 aircraft.
The problem relates to the potential for misaligned oil pipe counter-boring, which could lead to fatigue cracking, oil leakage and potential engine failure from an oil fire within the HP/IP bearing buffer space.
In response to the recommendation Rolls Royce, affected airlines and safety regulators are taking action to ensure the continued safe operation of A380 aircraft. The action involves the close inspection of affected engines and the removal from service of any engine which displays the suspected counter-boring problem.
The ATSB will hold a media briefing tomorrow (Friday 3 December 2010) at 10.30am to accompany the release of its preliminary factual investigation report into the QF32 occurrence. ATSB Chief Commissioner Mr Martin Dolan will present the known facts gathered from the investigation and highlight the key safety issues that have resulted from the investigation to date.
Summary
On 4 November 2010, at 0157 Universal Coordinated Time (UTC), an Airbus A380 aircraft, registered VH-OQA (OQA), being operated as Qantas flight 32, departed from runway 20 centre (20C) at Changi Airport, Singapore for Sydney, New South Wales. On board the aircraft were five flight crew, 24 cabin crew and 440 passengers (a total of 469 persons on board).
It was reported that shortly after departing Singapore the No. 2 engine failed. The aircraft was returned to Singapore for a safe landing after reducing its fuel load. The investigation is continuing.
A report has not yet been released for this investigation.
Preliminary report to be released 10.30am Friday, 3 December 2010
On 4 November 2010, at 0157 Universal Coordinated Time (UTC), an
Airbus A380 aircraft, registered VH-OQA (OQA), being operated as
Qantas flight 32, departed from runway 20 centre (20C) at Changi
Airport, Singapore for Sydney, New South Wales. On board the
aircraft were five flight crew, 24 cabin crew and 440 passengers (a
total of 469 persons on board).
It was reported that shortly after departing Singapore the No. 2
engine failed. The aircraft was returned to Singapore for a safe
landing after reducing its fuel load. The investigation is
continuing.
A report has not yet been released for this investigation.
Preliminary report to be released 10.30am Friday, 3 December
2010
On 4 November 2010, at 0157 Universal Coordinated
Time (UTC), an Airbus A380 aircraft, registered VH-OQA (OQA), being
operated as Qantas flight 32, departed from runway 20 centre (20C)
at Changi Airport, Singapore for Sydney, New South Wales. On board
the aircraft were five flight crew, 24 cabin crew and 440
passengers (a total of 469 persons on board).
Following a normal takeoff, the crew retracted the
landing gear and flaps. The crew reported that, while maintaining
250 kts in the climb and passing 7,000 ft above mean sea level,
they heard two almost coincident ‘loud bangs’, followed shortly
after by indications of a failure of the No 2 engine.
The crew advised Singapore Air Traffic Control of the
situation and were provided with radar vectors to a holding
pattern. The crew undertook a series of actions before returning
the aircraft to land at Singapore. There were no reported injuries
to the crew or passengers on the aircraft. There were reports of
minor injuries to two persons on Batam Island, Indonesia.
A subsequent examination of the aircraft indicated
that the No 2 engine had sustained an uncontained failure of the
Intermediate Pressure (IP) turbine disc. Sections of the liberated
disc had penetrated the left wing and the left wing-to-fuselage
fairing, resulting in structural and systems damage to the
aircraft. The No 2 engine was removed from the aircraft and
disassembled in an authorised engine workshop for examination,
under the supervision of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau. In
addition, a large section of liberated IP turbine disc was also
recovered from Batam Island for examination. Those examinations are
ongoing.
As a result of this occurrence, a number of safety
actions were immediately undertaken by Qantas, the Australian Civil
Aviation Safety Authority, Airbus, Rolls-Royce plc, and the
European Aviation Safety Agency.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has prepared a
Preliminary Factual Report on the investigation of the occurrence.
That report will be publically released on 3 December 2010.
Recent examination of components removed from the
failed engine at the Rolls-Royce plc facility in Derby, United
Kingdom, have identified the presence of fatigue cracking within a
stub pipe that feeds oil into the High Pressure (HP) / Intermediate
Pressure (IP) bearing structure. While the analysis of the engine
failure is ongoing, it has been identified that the leakage of oil
into the HP/IP bearing structure buffer space (and a subsequent oil
fire within that area) was central to the engine failure and IP
turbine disc liberation event.
Further examination of the cracked area has
identified the axial misalignment of an area of counter?boring
within the inner diameter of the stub pipe; the misalignment having
produced a localised thinning of the pipe wall on one side. The
area of fatigue cracking was associated with the area of pipe wall
thinning
Misaligned stub pipe counter-boring is understood to be related
to the manufacturing process. This condition could lead to an
elevated risk of fatigue crack initiation and growth, oil leakage
and potential catastrophic engine failure from a resulting oil
fire.
As a result of the identified critical safety issue, the
Australian Transport Safety Bureau issues the following safety
recommendation:
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau recommends
that Rolls-Royce plc address the safety issue and take actions
necessary to ensure the safety of flight operations in transport
aircraft equipped with Rolls-Royce plc Trent 900 series
engines.
| Date: | 04 Nov 2010 | Investigation Status: | Active |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time: | 0201 UTC | Investigation Type: | Occurrence Investigation |
| Location: | overhead Batam Island, Indonesia | Occurrence Type: | Powerplant / Propulsion |
| State: | International | Occurrence Class: | Mechanical |
| Occurrence Category: | Serious Incident | ||
| Report Status: | Pending | Highest Injury Level: | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer: | Airbus |
|---|---|
| Aircraft Model: | A380 |
| Aircraft Registration: | VH-OQA |
| Serial Number: | 0014 |
| Type of Operation: | Air Transport High Capacity |
| Damage to Aircraft: | Serious |
| Departure Point: | Singapore |
| Destination: | Sydney, NSW |
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Contact photographer David Roura – Iberian Spotters
What: Delta Airlines Airbus A330-300 en route from Paris Charles de Gaulle France to Atlanta,GA
Where: Stephenville
When: Nov 30
Who: 1 passenger
Why: Due to a passenger apparently having a stroke, the flight diverted to Stephenville Canada where a passenger was rushed to Sir Thomas Roddick Hospital. ATC suggested Saint Johns, but the weather was not permitting. The medical emergency delayed the arrival in Georgia by four hours. The ill passenger arrived at the hospital in critical condition
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Contact photographer Manuel Fernandez
What: BMI Airbus A321-200 en route from London to Beirut
Where: Bucharest Romania
When: Nov 28 2010
Why: While over Bucharest, the plane indicated smoke in 2 cargo holds. On making an emergency landing in Bucharest, no smoke or fire was located. Passengers disembarked and were provided hotel accommodations, and an alternative flight on the 29th.
The plane was grounded for inspections.
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Contact photographer Ilari Lehtinen
What: Finnair Airbus A340-300 en route from Hong Kong China to Helsinki Finland
Where: Hong Kong
When: Nov 27 2010
Who: 256 passengers
Why: The flight rejected takeoff due to some unexplained anomaly and at “low speed.” The plane braked safely on the runway, and took off again about an hour later.
Air France denies responsibility for the Air France Flight 447 crash, saying that they had raised concerns about the sensors before the crash.
If they did so, it would seem the memorandum they presented indicates that they were aware of the problem, and therefore responsible. Though Air France “submitted a memorandum to show it had taken ‘all possible precautions” after a series of earlier sensor failures,’ ” it would seem the memorandum would indicate that they were aware of a problem, and should have cancelled flights until the problem was corrected. Certainly passengers were not made aware that there was a potentially serious issue.
If Airbus had really been concerned, they would have installed the $50,000 backup system used by other carriers in the event of a multiple airspeed sensor failure.
Watching Air France and Airbus (and Thales) shift blame for the crash back and forth is like watching a child’s game of “hot potato.” When they are finished passing the buck, who ever ends up officially responsible, the victims are still just as dead. Time for someone to “man up.”
There are rumors that a request will be made to Transport Minister Thierry Mariani to continue the search for the black box. Three earlier searches failed, seeking the Airbus SAS A330, which crashed into the Atlantic on June 1, 2009, en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, killing all 228 people aboard. 6,700 square miles was searched for the acoustic pings, but the batteries are now dead, and searches changed to sonar imaging.
The BEA claims that only the black boxes will tell the truth of what happened but drags its feet in continuing the search. On May 6th 2010, a French deputy minister told the public that the black boxes had been found (meaning, apparently, that their general location had been pinned down.) That report was withdrawn. That fact, combined with the BEA reluctance to continue searching, has led to persistent rumors of a cover-up.
Private shareholders own 81.4% of Air France, 37% held by former Air France shareholders and 21% held by former KLM shareholders. The Government of France owns 18.6% of Air France—putting the BEA in the awkward position of heading an investigation where it has essentially owes 18.6% responsibility.
Air France was fined €310 million this month for price fixing. Read about their response to the fine
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Contact photographer Johannes Klinghardt
What: Emirates Airbus A340-300 en route from Zurich to Dubai
Where: Zurich
When: Nov 26th 2010
Why: On its takeoff run, pilots reported thrust reverser issues. They rejected takeoff and the flight was cancelled for maintenance.
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Contact photographer Niklas Ahman
What: Vueling Airbus A320-200 en route from Barcelona to Paris
Where: Paris
When: Nov 26th 2010
Who: 96 passengers
Why: While landing in snowy weather, the plane skidded off the runway. Passenger disembarked via stairs directly on to the runway, though they were taken by bus to the terminal.
What: United Airlines Airbus A319-100 en route from Chicago,IL (USA) to Calgary
Where: Chicago
When: Nov 22nd 2010
Why: While en route from Chicago, the plane developed a hydraulic problem and returned to Chicago to make a safe landing. However, landing without nosewheel steering, the plane had to be towed. Passengers were provided alternative flights.
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Contact photographer Ricardo Morales – flyAPM
What: Delta Airlines Airbus A320-200 en route from Minneapolis to Tampa
Where: Minneapolis
When: Nov 19th 2010
Who: 48 people on board
Why: After takeoff from Minneapolis, the plane flew through birds. The frame of the plane incurred some damage. They returned to Minneapolis and made a safe landing on one engine. A replacement flight was provided for the passengers. (However, a KARE report said that there was no damage and the same plane left the airport with its passengers at 8:40 pm.)
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Contact photographer Dan Vincent – New England Airports
What: Delta/Compass Airlines Embraer ERJ-175 N604CZ performing flight CP-5887/DL-5887 from Minneapolis,MN to Missoula,MT
Where: Minneapolis
When: Nov 15th 2010
Why: After takeoff from Twin Cities International, the plane incurred a bird strike, damaging the nose cone of the plane and one of the engines either quit or was shut down.
The airport is next to a wild life preserve. The Metropolitan Airport Commission traps Bald Eagles too close to the runway and relocates them; other birds are frightened off by fireworks.
Goose feathers from this bird strike were sent to the Smithsonian.
Rolls-Royce claims the Trent 900 problem is confined to a specific part in the turbine area. 21 of 38 A380s operated by Singapore Air, Qantas and Lufthansa use Rolls-Royce Trent 900 series engines. Singapore Air may have to replace 24 engines. Qantas is inspecting 14 engines which may shared among six planes—which may explain some of the strain evident in so many recent Qantas incidents. Six grounded super jumbos are costing Qantas a million dollars a day.
On the Airbus A380, bound for Sydney from Singapore, which was carrying 433 passengers and 26 crew members, an engine exploded over Batam, sending turbine shrapnel flying out of the plane’s engine, severing cables in the wing, taking out flight control systems and narrowly missing the fuel tank. With fuel gushing out of the fuel tank there and hot components, passengers are lucky the wing did not ignite.
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Contact photographer John Richard Thomson
What: Jetstar Airbus A320-200 en route from Brisbane to Mackay
Where: Brisbane
When: Nov 16th 2010
Who: 164 passengers
Why: After takeoff, Brisbane Airport crew noticed fluid on the runway, the Jetstar crew received a low fluid indication in one of three hydraulic systems and the gear would not retract.
The crew made a “standard air return” Brisbane to make a safe landing within a half hour of departure. Passengers were rebooked on a later flight with a scheduled arrival of 9:25 pm. The plane was pulled from service for maintenance and inspection.
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Contact photographer Claudio Marangon
What: Aegean Airlines Airbus A320-200 en route from Athens to Milan
Where: Milan
When: Nov 10th 2010
Who: 108 passengers, 6 crew
Why: On touchdown in Milan, the plane generated a brake fault message. The return flight was cancelled, and the plane was pulled from service briefly for repairs.
What: Iberia Airbus A340-300 en route from Sao Paulo Brazil to Madrid
Where: Sao Paulo
When: Nov 12th 2010
Why: While en route, the flight developed problems with their radar and returned to Sao Paulo where they made a safe landing.
What: Air India Airbus A310-300 en route from Thiruvananthapuram India to Dammam Saudi Arabia
Where: Thiruvananthapuram
When: Nov 10th 2010
Who: 82 passengers including 2 infants
Why: After takeoff, the flight developed problems with a landing gear. The pilot burned off fuel, and made a hard but safe landing, but the brakes jammed. The disabled plane had to be towed, tying up the runway for several hours.
The plane was grounded after the emergency landing. Passengers were accommodated on other flights or sent to local hotels.
