A380: just another day in the office...
Posted: Thu Nov 18, 2010 4:40 pm
The following are messages received from someone who knows quite a lot about what really happened when the no.1 engine exploded. Interesting stuff:
Qute:
Hi Chaps,
I received these from some friends re the engine failure in
VH-OQA ex Singapore . . .
Here are just SOME of the problems Richard had in
Singapore last week aboard QF32
* massive fuel leak in the left mid fuel tank (the beast has 11 tanks,
including in the horizontal stabilizer on the tail)
* massive fuel leak in the left inner fuel tank
* a hole on the flap canoe/fairing that you could fit your upper body
through
* the aft gallery in the fuel system failed, preventing many fuel transfer
functions
* fuel jettison had problems due to the previous problem above
* bloody great hole in the upper wing surface
* partial failure of leading edge slats
* partial failure of speed brakes/ground spoilers
* shrapnel damage to the flaps
* TOTAL loss of all hydraulic fluid in the Green System (beast has 2 x
5,000 PSI systems, Green and Yellow)
* manual extension of landing gear
* loss of 1 generator and associated systems
* loss of brake anti-skid system
* unable to shutdown adjacent #1 engine using normal method after landing
due to major damage to systems
* unable to shutdown adjacent #1 engine using the fire switch!!!!!!!!
Therefore, no fire protection was available for that engine after the
explosion in #2
* ECAM warnings about major fuel imbalance because of fuel leaks on left
side, that were UNABLE to be fixed with cross-feeding
* fuel trapped in Trim Tank (in the tail). Therefore, possible major
C of G out-of-balance condition for landing. Yikes!
* and much more to come..........
Richard was in the left seat, F/O in the right, S/O in the 2nd obs seat
right rear, also with his own Radio Management Panel, so he probably did
most of the coordination with the ground, Capt Dave XXX in the 1st obs
seat (middle). He is a Check & Training Captain who was
training Harry XXXX to be one also. Harry was in the 3rd obs seat
(left rear).
All 5 guys were FLAT OUT, especially the F/O who would have been
processing complicated 'ECAM' messages and procedures that were seemingly
never-ending!
-------------
I had some drinks yesterday with the F/O (Matt XXXX), S/O (Mark
XXXXX) and Training Captain under training (Harry XXXXX).
Harry was actually in the middle seat I think with Dave in the
third observers spot. Mind you within a few seconds it sounds like all
the guys in the back were up and looking closely at what was going on
(the view from the corners is not very good).
That list looks about right from what I've heard but they also had no
auto thrust, engines 1 and 4 in degraded mode and for some reason the
ECAM called for some of the yellow system hydraulic pumps associated
with the number 4 engine to be turned off. It took 50 minutes to work
through the ECAMs before they could get to the Status stage where the
checklists are done and you can think about the state of play.
Apparently at one point in the process the ECAM called for a Fuel
Quantity Management System reset which, after being completed, threw up
all the fuel problem checklists again even though they'd been dealt with
already. They went through them much more quickly the second time but it
sounded like it was getting depressing that it felt like it would never end.
Approach speed was around 165 knots and they got a "SPEED SPEED" auto
call at one point. At the end of the landing roll there was a big sigh
of relief until they were told that fuel was gushing out of the wing and
heading towards the brakes which were indicating 900 degrees. Then it
was adrenalin back on again. Once given the go ahead, the firies laid
down foam and got that under control. Engine 1 was still going when the
crew left. Apparently it took two fire trucks flooding the engine with
foam to stop it.
This will be a good investigation.
end quote
Sometimes it is nice to be just sitting behind a computer screen!
cheers
Qute:
Hi Chaps,
I received these from some friends re the engine failure in
VH-OQA ex Singapore . . .
Here are just SOME of the problems Richard had in
Singapore last week aboard QF32
* massive fuel leak in the left mid fuel tank (the beast has 11 tanks,
including in the horizontal stabilizer on the tail)
* massive fuel leak in the left inner fuel tank
* a hole on the flap canoe/fairing that you could fit your upper body
through
* the aft gallery in the fuel system failed, preventing many fuel transfer
functions
* fuel jettison had problems due to the previous problem above
* bloody great hole in the upper wing surface
* partial failure of leading edge slats
* partial failure of speed brakes/ground spoilers
* shrapnel damage to the flaps
* TOTAL loss of all hydraulic fluid in the Green System (beast has 2 x
5,000 PSI systems, Green and Yellow)
* manual extension of landing gear
* loss of 1 generator and associated systems
* loss of brake anti-skid system
* unable to shutdown adjacent #1 engine using normal method after landing
due to major damage to systems
* unable to shutdown adjacent #1 engine using the fire switch!!!!!!!!
Therefore, no fire protection was available for that engine after the
explosion in #2
* ECAM warnings about major fuel imbalance because of fuel leaks on left
side, that were UNABLE to be fixed with cross-feeding
* fuel trapped in Trim Tank (in the tail). Therefore, possible major
C of G out-of-balance condition for landing. Yikes!
* and much more to come..........
Richard was in the left seat, F/O in the right, S/O in the 2nd obs seat
right rear, also with his own Radio Management Panel, so he probably did
most of the coordination with the ground, Capt Dave XXX in the 1st obs
seat (middle). He is a Check & Training Captain who was
training Harry XXXX to be one also. Harry was in the 3rd obs seat
(left rear).
All 5 guys were FLAT OUT, especially the F/O who would have been
processing complicated 'ECAM' messages and procedures that were seemingly
never-ending!
-------------
I had some drinks yesterday with the F/O (Matt XXXX), S/O (Mark
XXXXX) and Training Captain under training (Harry XXXXX).
Harry was actually in the middle seat I think with Dave in the
third observers spot. Mind you within a few seconds it sounds like all
the guys in the back were up and looking closely at what was going on
(the view from the corners is not very good).
That list looks about right from what I've heard but they also had no
auto thrust, engines 1 and 4 in degraded mode and for some reason the
ECAM called for some of the yellow system hydraulic pumps associated
with the number 4 engine to be turned off. It took 50 minutes to work
through the ECAMs before they could get to the Status stage where the
checklists are done and you can think about the state of play.
Apparently at one point in the process the ECAM called for a Fuel
Quantity Management System reset which, after being completed, threw up
all the fuel problem checklists again even though they'd been dealt with
already. They went through them much more quickly the second time but it
sounded like it was getting depressing that it felt like it would never end.
Approach speed was around 165 knots and they got a "SPEED SPEED" auto
call at one point. At the end of the landing roll there was a big sigh
of relief until they were told that fuel was gushing out of the wing and
heading towards the brakes which were indicating 900 degrees. Then it
was adrenalin back on again. Once given the go ahead, the firies laid
down foam and got that under control. Engine 1 was still going when the
crew left. Apparently it took two fire trucks flooding the engine with
foam to stop it.
This will be a good investigation.
end quote
Sometimes it is nice to be just sitting behind a computer screen!
cheers
