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Weird Sounds During Taxi On Airbus Widebodies?

SW733 From Namibia, joined Feb 2004, 5791 posts, RR: 11
Posted (4 years 11 months 1 week 3 days 9 hours ago) and read 5101 times:

Well, having taken several long-haul flights on widebody A330/A340 flights on multiple airlines recently, I've noticed a lot of noises coming from underneath mid-cabin during taxi both before takeoff and after landing. It sounds like a loud thud that just lasts a second, but comes back somewhat often. Yesterday on my LGW-PHL A330 flight, I finally told myself I would go on A.Net to find out what it was...any ideas?

Thanks in advance!!
Zach

Dude. Namibia.

16 replies: All unread, jump to last

Trent1000 From Japan, joined Jan 2007, 328 posts, RR: 2
Reply 1, posted (4 years 11 months 1 week 3 days 9 hours ago) and read 5101 times:

Hi, I asked a similar question a few weeks ago and here were two suitable answers

Quoting Leej (Reply 3):
That'll be the nose wheel and centre main landing gear going over the runway centre lights.....

I'd have to agree. Folks will also note that the sounds of the bumping/rattling (of galley stuff, I presume) become less frequent as the aircraft slows down on landing roll-out.

The runway's centerline lights are recessed, and running over them is about like veering your car out of the lane a bit and running your tires over the round pavement markers.

N231YE From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR:
Reply 2, posted (4 years 11 months 1 week 3 days 8 hours ago) and read 5096 times:

Probably the PTU. There are numerous threads on this subject.

Bond007 From United States of America, joined Mar 2005, 4926 posts, RR: 9
Reply 3, posted (4 years 11 months 1 week 3 days 8 hours ago) and read 5093 times:

PTU most probably .... check out the "similar topics" list at bottom of screen.

Jimbo

I'd rather be on the ground wishing I was in the air, than in the air wishing I was on the ground!

SW733 From Namibia, joined Feb 2004, 5791 posts, RR: 11
Reply 4, posted (4 years 11 months 1 week 3 days 8 hours ago) and read 5092 times:

Quoting Bond007 (Reply 3):
PTU most probably .... check out the "similar topics" list at bottom of screen.

Yeah I did but all the ones I found were related to the A320, and I didn't remember hearing this on the narrowbodies, so I decided to go ahead and post.

PTU...that makes sense based on the description of the sound.

Dude. Namibia.

Starlionblue From Greenland, joined Feb 2004, 15102 posts, RR: 69
Reply 5, posted (4 years 11 months 1 week 3 days 7 hours ago) and read 5074 times:

Quoting SW733 (Thread starter):
It sounds like a loud thud that just lasts a second, but comes back somewhat often

KA-THUNK??? Brakes I believe. But what do I know.

Strangely, I don't think it's the raccoons, ahem, the PTU. This time...

Tact Is For People Who Aren't Witty Enough To Be Sarcastic

SW733 From Namibia, joined Feb 2004, 5791 posts, RR: 11
Reply 6, posted (4 years 11 months 1 week 3 days 6 hours ago) and read 5059 times:

Quoting Starlionblue (Reply 5):
KA-THUNK??? Brakes I believe. But what do I know.

Yeah I guess that would be it...actually that does make more sense than the PTU...it just shocked me how loud it was...but I was right over the rear wheels all the times I heard it, so that makes a lot of sense.

Thanks to all!

Dude. Namibia.

Starlionblue From Greenland, joined Feb 2004, 15102 posts, RR: 69
Reply 7, posted (4 years 11 months 1 week 3 days 5 hours ago) and read 5046 times:

Quoting SW733 (Reply 6):

Yeah I guess that would be it...actually that does make more sense than the PTU...it just shocked me how loud it was...but I was right over the rear wheels all the times I heard it, so that makes a lot of sense.

My guess is there is quite a bit of resonance since the sounds bounces around inside the wheel wells.

Tact Is For People Who Aren't Witty Enough To Be Sarcastic

HAWK21M From India, joined Jan 2001, 30166 posts, RR: 61
Reply 8, posted (4 years 11 months 1 week 3 days 2 hours ago) and read 5002 times:

Quoting SW733 (Thread starter):
It sounds like a loud thud that just lasts a second, but comes back somewhat often.

Your description sounds more like MLG moving over projections on the Taxipath or Braking.
The PTU has a different sound,different from what described.
regds
MELK

Think of the brighter side!

ThrottleHold From South Africa, joined Jul 2006, 611 posts, RR: 1
Reply 9, posted (4 years 11 months 1 week 2 days 20 hours ago) and read 4958 times:

Quoting N231YE (Reply 2):
Probably the PTU. There are numerous threads on this subject.

Quoting Bond007 (Reply 3):
PTU most probably .... check out the "similar topics" list at bottom of screen.

Quoting SW733 (Reply 4):
PTU...that makes sense based on the description of the sound.

The A330/340 does not have a PTU.

Sounds like the noise from the brakes being released after the pedals have been depressed. It can be quite noisy on the Airbus for some reason.

Bond007 From United States of America, joined Mar 2005, 4926 posts, RR: 9
Reply 10, posted (4 years 11 months 1 week 2 days 20 hours ago) and read 4939 times:

There is a similar thread.

Same discussion on brakes vs PTU until somebody else also mentions the A330 has no PTU Wink

Unusual Noise During Taxi- A330 (by GRZ-AIR Jan 19 2002 in Tech Ops)

Jimbo

I'd rather be on the ground wishing I was in the air, than in the air wishing I was on the ground!

N231YE From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR:
Reply 11, posted (4 years 11 months 1 week 2 days 17 hours ago) and read 4894 times:

Quoting ThrottleHold (Reply 9):

Quoting Bond007 (Reply 10):

Quoting HAWK21M (Reply 8):

Ahhh...interesting. Thanks guys...disregard my original post, at least this turned out differently than the 50 threads on the "weird noise on A320".

B7474 From United States of America, joined Mar 2001, 235 posts, RR: 0
Reply 12, posted (4 years 10 months 1 week 21 hours ago) and read 4464 times:

I remember hearing something like this on the Airbus A340-300 I was on China Airlines a couple of weeks ago from TPE-MNL, but surprisngly didn't really hear it MNL-TPE,maybe because I was further away from the wing. I was thinking a bird was inside cheerful

IFixPlanes From Germany, joined Feb 2005, 228 posts, RR: 0
Reply 13, posted (4 years 10 months 1 week 13 hours ago) and read 4377 times:

Here you get a idea how the PTU sounds in a A320:
http://www.file-upload.net/download-344767/PTU-Sound.mp3.html

Ingo

never tell an engineer he is wrong ;-)

GRZ-AIR From Austria, joined Apr 2001, 564 posts, RR: 5
Reply 14, posted (4 years 10 months 3 days 7 hours ago) and read 4168 times:

Quoting Bond007 (Reply 10):
There is a similar thread.

Same discussion on brakes vs PTU until somebody else also mentions the A330 has no PTU

Unusual Noise During Taxi- A330 (by GRZ-AIR Jan 19 2002 in Tech Ops)

Jimbo

Thanks Jimbo for posting the link. Sure brought up some nice memories as it's over 5 years ago that I posted the question.. eventhough I fly airplanes (ours have a PTU Wink

) now for a living I still can't solve/explain the question's answer entirely, but I asked one of our "bus colleagues" and he told me that the sound is basically brake pads rubbing together during low speeds.

Objects in the brakes move and every couple of seconds they are in a certain position and then the metallic "kahh-tschunk" sound occurs.

My assumption is that the sound and vibrations are passed on to the cabin via the gear struts and are therefore very noticable in the affected area of the cabin above the main gear.

It is a normal thing and does not at all imply anything to be inop or unsafe.

Where are the Airbus 330/340 mechanics?

Regards,
GRZ-AIR

When I joined A.net it was still free, haha ;).

Usair320 From United States of America, joined Nov 2003, 991 posts, RR: 3
Reply 15, posted (4 years 10 months 2 days 16 hours ago) and read 4104 times:

Quoting N231YE (Reply 2):
PTU

Thats what I would imagine. In 2002 I was flying on a US A333 from PHL-CDG and I was sitting next to a US pilot and he said PTU. But he wasnt 100% sure as he flies Boeing jets.

Dc863 From Denmark, joined Jun 1999, 1547 posts, RR: 3
Reply 16, posted (4 years 10 months 1 day 10 hours ago) and read 3996 times:

I flew from ATL-CDG on an AF A340 F-GLZU and as we taxied to the active there was a sound as if someone was rolling pallets end over end in the cargo hold. I sat abeam the trailing edge of the right wing.

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