Leelaw From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 2, posted (6 years 8 months 4 weeks 16 hours ago) and read 8276 times:
PARIS (AP)--An Airbus A380 superjumbo test flight heading from France to the North African desert was cut short Tuesday as a precaution, the plane manufacturer said.
The jet was scheduled to fly to the airport of Tozeur-Nefta in southern Tunisia, but the pilot returned to the plane's base in Toulouse, France, soon after takeoff because of a "minor incident," said Airbus spokeswoman Anne Galabert. She declined to elaborate.
Galabert said the shortened flight was a "non-event" that received attention only because journalists waiting in Tunisia were disappointed when they learned they would not see the world's largest passenger plane.
The decision to turn back was "something that is completely normal in the testing phase," she said, adding that the flight will be rescheduled for a later date.
Five A380s have clocked more than 1,800 hours of test flights, she said.
The A380 program has been under close scrutiny since delays in the long-awaited superjumbo sent stock in parent company European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co. tumbling more than 25% in June. They also led to a major management reshuffle at the Franco-German company, and customer and investor confidence was rattled.
OldAeroGuy From United States of America, joined Dec 2004, 3206 posts, RR: 66 Reply 4, posted (6 years 8 months 4 weeks 12 hours ago) and read 7614 times:
Leelaw From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 5, posted (6 years 8 months 4 weeks 10 hours ago) and read 7397 times:
Airbus A380 test aircraft MSN004 forced to return to Toulouse on test flight after landing gear door sensor alert
Airbus has confirmed that one of its A380 test aircraft was forced to return from a test flight to Toulouse after a landing gear door sensor blocked its retraction...
"...The sensor sensed a mismatch in the position of the main landing gear doors," Airbus says. The incident did not involve Goodrich the landing gear itself. Engineers are inspecting the sensor to establish the cause...
Ikramerica From United States of America, joined exactly 8 years ago today! , 21029 posts, RR: 60 Reply 6, posted (6 years 8 months 4 weeks 10 hours ago) and read 7325 times:
Francoflier From France, joined Oct 2001, 3195 posts, RR: 10 Reply 8, posted (6 years 8 months 4 weeks 5 hours ago) and read 6127 times:
It's good that those glitches happen when still in the testing phase instead of being discovered when the a/c is in operational service.
It saves some money down the line by not having to solve the problems when several units are already flying with the airlines.
I doubt any airliner in development has ever made all of its certification test flights without ever having had to return to base for a minor problem.
Quoting Beaucaire (Reply 7): ..at least we now know that the small airport of Tozeur-Nefta is A380 compliant.... (3200 meter runway..)
Not that it'll be going there very often though...
Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit posting...
RedFlyer From United States of America, joined Feb 2005, 4175 posts, RR: 30 Reply 11, posted (6 years 8 months 4 weeks 5 hours ago) and read 5769 times:
Quoting Francoflier (Reply 8): I doubt any airliner in development has ever made all of its certification test flights without ever having had to return to base for a minor problem.
Even major problems. Check out an excerpt on an early 757 test flight...
One came during an icing test on the 757. The worst part of this test is waiting for the right conditions, when big storms come in off the Pacific and wet air blows up the side of the Cascade Mountains. That wet air gets colder and colder. Fly through that stuff and 3 to 4 inches of ice can quickly form on an airplane's skin, disrupting the airflow.
The plane is in its landing configuration, with gear and wing flaps down.
On this 757 flight, Higgins was flying about 1,000 feet above the mountains and the jet was picking up a lot of ice when the two engines red-lined and the plane began shaking.
"I decided it was time to get out of there," Higgins said.
But at that moment the flight test engineer on the plane came rushing up to the cockpit and told Higgins icing conditions were perfect and to keep the jet exactly where it was.
"No," Higgins told him, "we are getting out of this."
He told his co-pilot to radio air traffic control and get immediate clearance to climb. A controller denied the request, saying there was a plane above them.
Higgins told the co-pilot to tell the controller they were going up. Now.
He gave the plane power, but it wouldn't climb. The engines were making a strange noise.
Because of all the ice on the plane, Higgins had not wanted to raise the landing gear or retract the flaps, fearing something would break. But now he had no choice.
The 757 slowly began to climb out of the ice, but power on one engine had to be reduced to idle.
Later, when the 757 was safely back on the runway, Higgins inspected the engine. The ice had caused severe damage to the fan blades and other parts.
Ikramerica From United States of America, joined exactly 8 years ago today! , 21029 posts, RR: 60 Reply 12, posted (6 years 8 months 4 weeks 5 hours ago) and read 5732 times:
Quoting RedFlyer (Reply 11): Even major problems. Check out an excerpt on an early 757 test flight...
This does not correlate.
The A380 had a sensor malfunction just like any jet might, even once it is certified.
This 757 report was what they were actually testing for, and conditions got worse than they wanted very quickly. It was not a malfunction, but the purpose of the test!
The A380 had some interesting days up in it's cold weather trials too, with parts freezing together and preventing tests, etc. It's just a part of testing, and why they do it, right?
Of all the things to worry about... the Wookie has no pants.
Cedarjet From United Kingdom, joined exactly 14 years ago today! , 7703 posts, RR: 55 Reply 13, posted (6 years 8 months 4 weeks 5 hours ago) and read 5629 times:
Quoting Ikramerica (Reply 12): This 757 report was what they were actually testing for, and conditions got worse than they wanted very quickly. It was not a malfunction, but the purpose of the test!
True, but shows how hairy testing can get. For a real classic, how about the 747-100 out over the Pacific in late 1969 on a test flight when someone spilt their coffee on the centre panel and killed all the nav gear, leaving them completely lost. Of course, they just put the compass on E until they came into range of land-based VORs, but still, effectively lost, decades before TCAS. I don't know but I'd bet the production 747 has lots of cupholders.
fly Saha Air 707s daily from Tehran's downtown Mehrabad to Mashhad, Kish Island and Ahwaz
MCOflyer From United States of America, joined Jun 2006, 8553 posts, RR: 14 Reply 14, posted (6 years 8 months 4 weeks 4 hours ago) and read 5482 times:
I hope the A380 makes it out to Tunisia soon. What a sight it will be for people who live there.
The A380 had a sensor malfunction just like any jet might, even once it is certified.
This 757 report was what they were actually testing for, and conditions got worse than they wanted very quickly. It was not a malfunction, but the purpose of the test!
The A380 had some interesting days up in it's cold weather trials too, with parts freezing together and preventing tests, etc. It's just a part of testing, and why they do it, right?
Well, I thought it was an interesting story! Thanks for sharing it.
United787 From United States of America, joined May 2005, 2344 posts, RR: 1 Reply 16, posted (6 years 8 months 4 weeks 1 hour ago) and read 3935 times:
How long before all of the airlines start cancelling their orders spelling the end of the 380 and then Airbus?
AS739X From United States of America, joined Apr 2003, 5820 posts, RR: 23 Reply 18, posted (6 years 8 months 3 weeks 6 days 23 hours ago) and read 3356 times:
Non-event! Shouldn't take much time to get the plane on the way to N. Africa.
ASLAX
"Some pilots avoid storm cells and some play connect the dots!"
Bluewhale18210 From United States of America, joined Aug 2006, 230 posts, RR: 0 Reply 19, posted (6 years 8 months 3 weeks 6 days 19 hours ago) and read 2069 times:
Quoting Cedarjet (Reply 13): I don't know but I'd bet the production 747 has lots of cupholders.
One on each side, I believe. I'll double check next time I got into the cockpit. And lots of spring pen/pencil holders.
JPS on A300-600RF A319/320 B737-400/800 B757-200F B767-300F CRJ-200/900. Looking to add more.
Astuteman From United Kingdom, joined Jan 2005, 9137 posts, RR: 96 Reply 20, posted (6 years 8 months 3 weeks 6 days 18 hours ago) and read 1818 times:
Quoting Leelaw (Reply 5): Airbus A380 test aircraft MSN004 forced to return to Toulouse on test flight after landing gear door sensor alert
Isn't this similar to/same as the sensor fault that resulted in the very first few A380 flights being conducted with the landing gear down last year?
Keesje From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 21, posted (6 years 8 months 3 weeks 6 days 16 hours ago) and read 1077 times:
Quoting Astuteman (Reply 20): Isn't this similar to/same as the sensor fault that resulted in the very first few A380 flights being conducted with the landing gear down last year?
wondered about the same thing, first flight also had a ldg sensor fault
anyway not a big problem, otherwise it wouldn't be in the air again next day
Tunis, Aug. 29, (BNA) Tunisian Airport Authorities announced here on Tuesday that a test flight for Airbus 380 passenger plane to Nefta International Airport in the southwest of Tunisia was postponed to an unspecified date due to technical failure.
The Tunisian News Agency reported on the Commander of Nefta Airport as saying that the plane coming from Toulouse was supposed to land at the airport at 9 a.m. today but nothing as such happened, adding that the airport was notified on flight delay at about 7 a.m. and then informed about the postponement of the flight to an unspecified date.
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