G'Day From Downunder

Now that I'm over my long suffering jetlag I'm ready for a strong cuppa coffee so let's get the kettle cranked up.

Since November 4th 2010, the media has had a feast of startling headlines on the Qantas A380 that had an engine blow up on its QF32 flight out of Singapore to Sydney on the same date.

Headlines are headlines and they are there to sell papers. Again let me say headlines are headlines and they are there to sell papers, not necessarily to tell a true story. When something like this happens, the vultures of doom come out to eat and they pick at every scrap of meat that they can tear from the bone. In this case, the tabloids had a plate full as did the many TV reports; also picking at the bones were the equally hungry radio stations all screaming the headlines that no one who flies wants to hear... 440 passengers just saved from the clutches of doom!.

Qantas is a very successful airline run by a team of very professional people. It is a world leader in safety; sometimes it has to defend its record from union heavyweights and competitors. Dubliner Alan Joyce who heads up Qantas is no Jonny-come-lately. He has been around the block more than a few times and there aren't many in the airline business that would be willing to cross swords with his knowledge on all things flying.

To me headlines are headlines and I want to know the full and true story behind the headlines. The headlines kept repeating that this incident was part of a major Qantas servicing problem. As this story was getting up my nose, I decided to ask Qantas if I could talk to Captain David Evans who was on that headline grabbing QF32 flight.

My first call was to Olivia Wirth, acting Executive for Government and Corporate Affairs. Just hours later I received a call from her super executive assistant Chris Kafka who was only too happy to fulfil my request. What did I say earlier and many times before? "Qantas is run by professionals".

On Friday March 11th I board the Qantas A380, QF9 flight from Melbourne to Singapore on route to London and finally Ireland. About one hour into the flight Captain David Evans introduces himself to me and suggests we sit in the lounge area of this magnificent technological new era flying machine and chat about him and that now famous incident.

Q: David, let's start with a bit of background information on yourself?

A: Sure, I started flying when I was 20 I am now 52. I joined Qantas in 1984, before that I flew with East West Airlines (the flying Doctors) I was an air ambulance pilot out of Dubbo. My aeroplane has been hanging in the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney for over twenty years now. I live in Brisbane, am married with three sons, Tom is 27, William is 17 and wants to be a scriptwriter, and Nick is 11.

Q: What do you do in your leisure time?

A: I like to surf and snow ski; Tom is also a keen skier and surfer so we have fun doing this together.

Q: David I suppose you, like everyone else at Qantas, have aviation fuel in your veins.

A: Yes you're right, once you fly a plane there's no going back. It is a lifetime thing; you're hooked in a nice way. With the introductions and David's background on record, it is now down to the story behind the headlines.

Q: Tell me a few things about the plane.

A: The A380 is the largest passenger aircraft in the world; powered by four Rolls Royce engines. Wingspan is 261' 10", length and is 239' 6" and height is 79'.

Q. Was November 4, 2010 one of the most dramatic days in your life?

A: It sure was, it had all the signs of a perfect day, sun shining, calm winds and pleasant temperature of about 28 Celsius, perfect for flying. We had 432 passengers and 29 crew on board.

Q: How many pilots were in the cockpit?

A: There were five

Q: Is that unusual?

A: I suppose on this day it was a blessing to have all that experience on board.

Q: Who was doing what?

A: Richard DeCrespigny was the pilot in command. His first officer was Matt Hichs, the second officer was Mark Johnson, Harry Wubben was the training check captain and myself also a check captain. My job was to train Harry on how to be a check captain so really I was the check captain who was checking the check captain who was checking the captain pilot in command.

Q: Who did the final check?

A: Mark Johnson and he reported all clear. At this stage, all systems are working, as they should be normal. We then taxied to runway 2 and took off.

As this plane is much quieter than any other, the "bang, bang" noise was a lot more noticeable just about five minutes after takeoff. I looked over Matt's seat and discovered exactly what I had expected to see, that we had an engine failure; but I wasn't expecting to find that we also had two engines in less than normal conditions.

Then we discovered all the sensors were blown off the engine and all the warnings were sounding. I made an announcement to the passengers that we had a technical issue with the number two engine and assured them that everything was secure and that the aircraft was flying safely.

Q: Was there panic and chaos?

A: In spite of the system telling us we had fifty plus faults and each demanding a response, the years of experience of the people in the cockpit was very assuring. At this stage, we are one engine down and two in trouble; the number three engine is normal. The system prioritizes what needs attention.

Q: Were all communications working?

A: Satellite voice had been down; the Singapore VHF signal told us the planes location.

Q: In spite of the dire situation you were in it appears you were well in control of the situation.

A: Well yes, the passengers were calm because we kept them well informed. The crew were working like clockwork and in spite of the systems telling us in the cockpit that we had an uphill battle on our hands everyone was working at their maximum best. Mark Johnson went back to the cabin to check if he could see any damage, he reported damage to the wing where a large hole was as if a large piece of metal came through. Later we discovered the pieces that blew from the engine cut two bundles of wiring that controls much of the landings. We also learned later on that parts of the engine fell on Batam Island.

The problem we now faced was we were fifty tonnes over our maximum landing weight with half brakes and the anti-skid brakes' having a big question mark on them plus the fuel was leaking from the damaged tanks. Then there was the problem of the right hand wing being about ten tonnes heavier than the left one. My calculations couldn't be certain if we could stop on the runway when we landed. Of the four-kilometre runway, we would need 3,900 meters. At this stage speed is critical if we were too fast we would over run, if we were too slow we would just drop down. We were cleared for landing and all emergency services alerted.

Richard and Matt did a magnificent job in bringing the plane to a safe landing but the danger wasn't over yet. The fuel was still leaking and the brakes were at 900 degrees and white-hot. It took an hour to stabilize the situation and we were in a very vulnerable situation until then.

After the passengers disembarked, I finally had a look at the damage. Unbelievable! I was gobsmacked when I saw the remains of the engine. I was shocked! In spite of all the trouble, we had and in spite of the computer systems, giving us contradicting reports. Had this happened in another make of aircraft it would have been much harder to manage this type of emergency.

Q: David, in summing up the near disaster as the headlines would "say let's put a more real face on the QF32 experience".

A: We had the equivalent of a bomb going off in the engine that exploded. We had extensive damage to the wing and fuel tank. The computers were less than helpful and our communications were spasmodic.

On the upside, we were flying one of the most technologically advanced aircraft in the world; we had five experienced pilots and we had a very efficient cabin crew who did a magnificent job for the passengers. The plane landed safely with no lives lost and no injuries. A perfect finish.

Q: David, do you still have confidence in the A380?

A: I think it is a magnificent craft and I give it 10 out of 10 marks.

I thanked David for giving us an insight into his and Qantas QF32 extraordinary experience in an extraordinary circumstance.

One of David's sons recently went to hospital for a shoulder operation and the doctor said they would give him the Rolls Royce treatment David's reply was... "no thanks!"

Now for my footnote... the headlines made a meal of the so-called Qantas QF32 crisis.

The true story that the headlines missed is, that it was a Rolls Royce Engine that blew up, not a Qantas plane and that engine could have been on any other A380 with any other airline.

Dare I say Rolls Royce were oh so lucky that it happened on a Qantas flight with so much experience in the cockpit?

On this occasion the headlines should have said the world's best engine company Rolls Royce let Qantas down by tarnishing their impeccable safety record.

There are no heroes here, only professional people doing a professional job. Headlines are only headlines. Now you have the true story.

"It can now be revealed that prior to the engine failure in November Rolls Royce had already had problems with oil pipes in exactly the same part of the engine, the bearing support assembly.

"In 2009 they found an oil vent pipe had cracked on an engine. From then as each engine came in to Rolls Royce for overhaul, they replaced the whole section of the engine containing the suspect pipe.

"The airlines were told of the changes. By November last year seventeen Qantas engines had been modified but not the one that exploded in mid air. If it had been, the faulty stub pipe would have been removed." ( from the ABC Four Corners program in Australia).

Until I talk to you again be good to those who love you and don't be afraid to fly. Slainte from Downunder!

You can catch me on mike@globefins.com.au