Poor A380.
She had a difficult birth caused in no small measure by the rather peculiar corporate structure of Airbus and the consequent mismatch of the design software used in different parts of the company… Wire harnesses turned out to be too short, then the redesigned version did not fit either. After long delays she finally took to the air only to have an engine explode mid-flight. Now come the news that Qantas and Singapore airlines have reassured their passengers that there was no risk to safety from the cracks found on the wings of several A380s.
Well, what else did you expect them to say?
Airbus calls the cracks “minor” and confirmed that they were not a cause for concern. They also published a recommended way to repair them.
The cracking, about one centimeter long and almost invisible to the naked eye, was found while the Qantas aircraft on which the engine blew up was being repaired. The investigators say that the cracking was unrelated to the engine incident.
Singapore airlines have announced that they have also found cracks on the wings of two of their 380s.
The cracks are on some wing-rib feet and Airbus has developed an inspection regime and repair procedure. This seems to suggest that the parts concerned were originally not the subject of specific inspection outside major maintenance operations.
The Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association though is not reassured by claims that this is not a safety issue. They stress that the affected parts run the length of the wing and are there to keep its structural integrity.
Should one or more of the cracked parts fail in flight, a cascade reaction may ensue popping other parts that may also be cracked, with catastrophic consequences. The suggested inspection interval of once every four years is seen by many experts as not enough.
There are very few aircraft in the world that are free of cracking. They are in fact designed to withstand cracking and the maintenance regime makes sure cracks are repaired before they grow beyond acceptable limits. What is more, manufacturers do actually predict where cracking will occur and this is taken into account when designing the routine inspection scheme.
In the case of the A380, this cracking seems to have been totally unpredicted. Furthermore, it comes on aircraft that have completed very few flight hours and hence cracking should not be an issue yet.
Not so long ago, an Airbus 330 was brought down by a combination of inadequate training and inadequate hardware (pitot tube); the engine of an A380 blew up because of a faulty part; and now unpredicted cracking is found (accidentally?) on the wings of A380s.
Aviation’s safety record is still exemplary… But I am wondering. Are we losing it?