A380 superjumbo flies again

A380 flies again
cAssociated Press

After being grounded for three weeks, the A380 flew again. A Qantas A380 took to the skies on Saturday, November 27, after a midair engine explosion forced the airline to ground its A380s for safety checks. In fact, Qantas replaced 16 of the Rolls Royce Trent 900 engines in its four A380s. Two other airlines,  Singapore Airlines and Lufthansa, also conducted safety checks on their A380s which have Trent 900 engines.  

The blowout incident of November 4 was the most serious one involving the A380. Investigation showed that oil leaked out and caught fire, heated the surrounding area which caused parts to disintegrate. The explosion caused flying metal parts to cut the hydraulic and engine control lines in the wing. This in turn caused the loss of control of a second engine, loss of some braking power and fuel leaks. Fortunately, the pilots managed to land the plane safely back to Singapore. Modifications are now being performed by Qantas on the engines of its A380s while two A380s are now back in service.

Meanwhile, Qantas suspended A380 service from its longest-haul flights, from Australia direct to Los Angeles. In these flights, the A380 load more fuel than on other flights. The airline is testing whether extra thrust for takeoff is creating too much stress for the engines. But the Rolls Royce Trent 900 engines are certified for takeoff at those higher thrust settings. However, Qantas is conducting its own tests.

Here's the report from Yahoo! News by the Associated Press.