Just days after returning to service from long-term storage, a Qantas Airbus A380 has encountered a series of problems, with one requiring a diversion and obese landing. The problems concern two consecutive flights. The primary was throughout the July thirteenth iteration of QF1 while the second took place throughout the July 14th iteration of QF2.
Flight QF1 to London
The Airbus A380 registered VH-OQI departed Singapore for London Heathrow on July thirteenth as QF1. As reported by The Aviation Herald, the aircraft encountered problems because it was cruising at FL400 about 60nm east-southeast of Frankfurt.
The crew initiated a descent to FL280 on account of the failure of the autopilot system. It was noted that this meant non-compliance with RVSM (Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum) criteria.
Photo: FlightRadar24.com
The difficulty was not urgent enough to require a diversion and the A380 continued to London and performed a secure landing roughly 80 minutes later.
Flight QF2 from London to Singapore
Conducting its turnaround and departing London a mere 20 minutes behind schedule, the identical Airbus A380 then encountered one other issue.
Flying at FL330 as flight QF2 to Singapore Changi, the jet was flying over central Europe when technical problems were encountered. Whilst flying over the Slovak-Hungarian border, the crew made the choice to show around and return to London, climbing to FL340. In keeping with passengers speaking with The Aviation Herald, they were informed that the aircraft’s navigation system was not working properly.
Photo: RadarBox.com
The Aviation Herald also notes that the crew subsequently advised that a heavy-weight landing could be required and that maximum reverse thrust could be engaged. Moreover, the aircraft would require the complete length of the runway and would exit the runway on the very last turn-off.
Nearly 4 hours after first departing London, the aircraft performed a secure landing back at the identical airport on runway 27L.
Incidents just days after returning to service
Notably, the pair of incidents come just days after VH-OQI returned to passenger service. The 13-year-old aircraft had been in long-term storage in Victorville (California) from September twentieth, 2020 to January twenty seventh, 2023. After leaving Victorville, the jet would spend a month in Los Angeles.
Photo: Mario Hagen / Shutterstock
As a part of the re-activation process, the aircraft was then flown from Los Angeles to Abu Dhabi (via London) where it underwent maintenance for several months. Its first official post-pandemic passenger flight took place on July tenth as flight QF1 from Sydney to London via Singapore.
As of March 2023, the airframe has amassed 44,033 flight hours across 3,823 cycles. ch-aviation.com also reports that the aircraft’s estimated market value is $39.13 million.
What do you’re thinking that of this pair of incidents? Do you’re thinking that it’s connected with an prolonged time spent storage and being recently reactivated? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment.