Regional Round-Up
RR admits blame for Qantas A380 engine fire
July 1st 2013
After an extended investigation, the Australian Transport and Safety Bureau (ATSB) issued a report which said that lax manufacturing procedures and inadequate oversight at Rolls-Royce aerospace had contributed to one of the company’s engines exploding mid-flight on a Qantas Airways A380 in November, 2010. Read More »
In a statement following the release of the investigation’s finding in June, Rolls-Royce’s director of engineering and technology, Colin Smith, said: “This was a serious and rare event which we very much regret. At Rolls-Royce we continually strive to meet the high standards of safety, quality and reliability that our customers and their passengers are entitled to expect. On this occasion, we fell short.
“The robustness of the Airbus A380 and the professionalism of the Qantas crew members assured that the aircraft and all its passengers landed safely.”
The ATSB’s report said pipes that pumped oil through the engine had thin sections that did not conform to design specifications. A fatigue crack developed in the wall of the pipeline that released oil during the flight and caused a fire.
The investigators explained that a disintegrating turbine disk fractured the engine and produced shrapnel in sections of the aircraft. Six hundred and fifty wires were severed by the disintegrating engine.
The Qantas A380, with 440 passengers on board, had taken off from Singapore and was bound for Sydney when the engine exploded over Batam Island in Indonesia. Cockpit crew executed an emergency landing in Singapore.
