A380s built to withstand busted tyres say Qantas pilots after a dramatic landing in Singapore
Qantas A380 pilots have revealed how the superjumbo can lose up to nine of its 22 tyres and make it safely to the gate, after a dramatic landing in Singapore this week.
Business
Don't miss out on the headlines from Business. Followed categories will be added to My News.
An incident involving a Qantas A380 which burst three tyres on landing at Singapore after turning back with a hydraulics issue will not be investigated because it was handled well by crew.
After gathering further information from Qantas, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau decided an investigation was not warranted as it was “a technical issue appropriately managed by pilots”.
The flight to London was in the air for just over two hours in total, after pilots received an alert about a potential hydraulics issue shortly after takeoff from Singapore late Sunday night.
The decision was made to return to Singapore and conduct a heavy landing, with three of the superjumbo’s 22 tyres blowing out on impact.
After disembarking passengers, a Qantas employee delivered a short address to inform them what happened.
Passenger Andrew Sward who was relocating from Australia to London with his young family, said the communication from pilots during the flight and on landing was “quite transparent and well-managed”.
“I can’t really fault them for how they handled the situation,” said Mr Sward.
“They arranged for all passengers to be put up overnight in various hotels and then individual arrangements were made for replacement flights.”
A Qantas A380 pilot who did not want to be named said the aircraft was designed to taxi with as many as nine flat tyres and it was not considered a serious threat to safety.
“The tyres are filled with nitrogen because it’s incombustible and helps prevent a wheel fire,” said the pilot.
“They can withstand a maximum landing speed of 204 kts but they can deflate as a result of a high energy stop in a rejected takeoff situation or a heavy landing.”
Deflations, or tyre blowouts, were still considered quite rare with another A380 pilot saying he had not experienced one, other than in the simulator, in almost 16 years of flying.
Designed to withstand temperatures as high as 650 degrees Celsius on landing, A380 tyres were replaced in “every 60 or 70 landings”.
“So basically they’re replaced every month or so, they’re not like car tyres that last four or five years,” said the pilot.
The A380 involved in Sunday’s incident remained in Singapore awaiting inspection by engineers before returning to service.
As a result Qantas was forced to swap in other aircraft for the A380 registered VH-OQH — one of just six in operation currently as four underwent maintenance in Abu Dhabi.
Passengers on Sunday’s aborted flight to London were re-accommodated on other flights the next day.
A Qantas spokeswoman apologised to customers, and thanked them for their patience.
Qantas A380s carry up to 485 passengers.
Originally published as A380s built to withstand busted tyres say Qantas pilots after a dramatic landing in Singapore
Economy at a pivotal ‘turning point’
Top CFOs are confident the economy is nearing a turning point as Wednesday’s high-stakes inflation data and the threat of a rate hike shapes up to be a pivotal moment for the economy.
Viagra replacement gets $10.5m funding boost
Brisbane-based LTR Pharma has attracted some big bucks from new investors as it seeks to replace the little blue pill in the bedroom with a simple nasal spray.