12 years ago today, a Qantas Airbus A380 suffered an uncontained engine failure after leaving Singapore Changi Airport. Against all odds, the pilots managed to land the plane, and all passengers and crew disembarked safely. Now, VH-OQA is waiting in California, hoping to return to service in the future. Sadly, the same cannot be said for the hero pilot who saved the flight and all onboard.

The Australian flag carrier's first superjumbo

VH-OQA was Qantas' first Airbus A380, and was named after Nancy-Bird Walton, a pioneering female aviator. Also known as the 'Angel of the Outback,' she was the youngest Australian woman to get a pilot's license. Just a year after her death, her namesake aircraft was involved in an uncontained engine failure.

Perhaps she was the angel watching over that flight because, against all odds, every passenger and crew member walked away unscathed.

Get the latest aviation news straight to your inbox: Sign up for our newsletters today.

An uncontained engine failure

QF32 was a regularly scheduled flight from London to Sydney via Singapore. On November 4th, 2010, VH-OQA departed as planned from Singapore's Changi Airport on its way to Sydney. According to the Aviation Safety Network, the superjumbo was well-loaded, with a grand total of 440 passengers and 29 crew onboard.

Four minutes into the flight, the A380 suffered an uncontained engine failure. Shrapnel from the number 2 engine punctured part of the wing, damaging the fuel system and causing leaks. These leaks caused a fuel tank fire.

If that wasn't enough, damage to the hydraulic system and anti-lock braking system caused two other engines to go into 'degraded' mode. This, combined with damage to the landing flaps and controls for the number 1 engine, made the plane largely uncontrollable. The flight crew entered a holding pattern to assess the situation.

Love aviation history? Discover more of our stories here!

Challenging circumstances

They were faced with landing the biggest commercial passenger jet in the world, 50 tonnes over maximum landing weight, with fewer controls than they were used to. After almost two hours of holding, the crew made an attempt to land, and Nancy-Bird Walton hit the runway hard and fast. Heavy braking caused four of the tires to blow out, but the aircraft came to a stop with runway to spare.

Although being back on the ground was a relief for the passengers and crew, the drama wasn't over. Fuel was dripping down onto the hot brakes, and the number 1 engine could not be powered down. Fire crew had to douse the engine on the ground until flameout was achieved. The risk of fire was high, and cabin crew were poised to evacuate the passengers via emergency slide.

Thankfully this wasn't necessary in the end. Speaking to the Royal Aeronautical Society on the matter, pilot David Evans explained that:

"We’ve got a situation where there is fuel, hot brakes and an engine that we can’t shut down. And really, the safest place was onboard the aircraft until such time as things changed. So we had the cabin crew with an alert phase the whole time through ready to evacuate, open doors, inflate slides at any moment. As time went by, that danger abated, and, thankfully, we were lucky enough to get everybody off very calmly and very methodically through one set of stairs."

Down on the ground, the uncontained engine failure launched debris onto houses and cars on the Indonesian island of Batam. Thankfully, nobody was hurt.

Getting back into service

On inspection, it was found that a turbine disc in the engine had shattered, a result of an improperly manufactured stub oil pipe. Qantas and Singapore Airlines grounded their A380s until all the engines could be inspected.

Some engines were changed out, while others had repairs enacted to prevent the fault from occurring again. VH-OQA was repaired and returned to service in April 2012. This aircraft was, in fact, the first Qantas A380 to return with its refurbished cabin and the new first class product onboard, with this occurring in late 2019.

In the last few years, the aircraft has been resting its wings in the California sun amid the unprecedented downturn in travel demand. However, recent months have seen the Australian flag carrier begin reintroducing its A380s.

The pilot who saved QF32 will fly no more

The pilot at the controls of Nancy-Bird Walton was Qantas Captain Richard Champion de Crespigny. He is lauded with being instrumental in the successful landing of the aircraft following the events of QF32, and for saving the passengers onboard. However, it seems that his career came to an untimely end.

Indeed, just days before the 10th anniversary of the near-disaster, back in late 2020, de Crespigny revealed that he would no longer be working for Qantas. This turned out to be a direct consequence of the current downturn in international travel. Speaking to Australian publication Traveler on the matter, he stated that:

"COVID-19 has terminated my 45-year professional flying career. I am currently stood down and am in limbo, not having flown since March, and will take early retirement effective November 30th [2020].”

Although de Crespigny's flying days may be over, his achievements have not gone unrewarded. His book documenting the events of that fateful day, 'QF32', was a best-seller in 2012. A follow-up book, 'Fly! Life Lessons from the Cockpit of QF32', was released in 2018. In normal circumstances, he travels the world over, presenting on topics of resilience to various governments and companies.

A closer look at the aircraft involved

While VH-OQA has largely been confined to the Victorville desert in recent years, data from FlightRadar24.com shows that it took to the skies in September 2022. Its 40-minute flight to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) was its first action for more than two years, having flown from Sydney to Victorville in May 2020.

According to ch-aviation.com, the aircraft is now undergoing maintenance at the Californian facility, perhaps intending to re-enter service. It is now 14.79 years old, having first flown in January 2008. Since then, it has amassed, as of August 2022, 45,271 hours across 4,118 flight cycles, averaging just under 11 hours per sector.

Do you remember Qantas flight 32's uncontained engine failure? Have you ever lived through such a situation? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments.

Sources: Aviation Safety Network, ch-aviation.com, FlightRadar24.com, Royal Aeronautical Society, Traveler

• 

  Qantas

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  QF/QFA

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Brisbane Airport, Melbourne Airport, Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport

  Year Founded:

  1920

  Alliance:

  oneworld

  CEO:

  Alan Joyce

  Country:

  Australia