A Qantas A-380 takes off from Singapore for Australia. The A-380 is the largest passenger airplane in the world, powered by four Rolls-Royce engines and capable of carrying up to 500 people within its two decks.
Five experienced flight crew are about five minutes into their trip when there is a sudden bang and one of the engines explodes and catches fire. The instrument panel goes crazy with warnings. All kinds of system that are supposed to be independent of one another are failing. There are large holes in the right wing and fuel is pouring out.
The pilots handle the emergency delicately but firmly. They execute a gradual turn back towards Singapore. Now they face another set of daunting problems. The plane is loaded with fuel and overweight. That means they must land at high speed without knowing whether their landing gear will manage the stress or whether the runway will be long enough to accommodate the crippled machine.
With the assistance of his skilled mates, the pilot does a superb job of lining up with the runway, knowing that no abort is possible. They've lost at least one thrust reverser and must rely on the brakes to stop the speeding plane once it is on the land.
They stop 50 meters short of the runway's end but it's not over because jet fuel is pouring out of the wing tank and the brakes nearby are overheated. In addition, the damaged engine is running at warp speed ad can't be shut down.
The captain decides not to deploy the safety chutes because of the danger of injuries, so all the passengers, no doubt shaking with relief and eager to deplane, must sit in their seats with a mixture of the hallelujah spirit and anger. It takes the responders about half an hour to stop the out-of-control engine and lay down a layer of fire-retardant foam before the passengers can exit by the usual stairways.
The cause? A small pipe carrying oil runs through the engines. It's thickness is uneven and it's quite vulnerable at its weakest point. When it popped, it sprayed oil all over the inside of the engine, caught fire, and caused one of the turbines to gain so much speed that it simply flew apart and damaged the wing and fuselage. It all happened in seconds so the crew had no warning.
And who was to blame? The majestic Rolls-Royce Company, Ltd. There was a flaw in the manufacturing of the oil pipe. It was quickly corrected when all airlines flying the A-380 were warned to check the unit. About half were found to be faulty. I'm rather glad Qantas was found to be in no way responsible because it's about the only major airline that's never suffered a fatal accident and because when I was stationed on a Coast Guard cutter in mid-Pacific Qantas sometimes flew high overhead and the stewardesses, as they were then called, would chat cheerfully with us by radio. Good on you, mates.
Mostly, the program consists of reenactments -- pretty good ones, for reenactments -- with some newsreel footage, CGIs, and comments by participants and experts.
It's very well done, up to the standards we've come to expect from this series.
Five experienced flight crew are about five minutes into their trip when there is a sudden bang and one of the engines explodes and catches fire. The instrument panel goes crazy with warnings. All kinds of system that are supposed to be independent of one another are failing. There are large holes in the right wing and fuel is pouring out.
The pilots handle the emergency delicately but firmly. They execute a gradual turn back towards Singapore. Now they face another set of daunting problems. The plane is loaded with fuel and overweight. That means they must land at high speed without knowing whether their landing gear will manage the stress or whether the runway will be long enough to accommodate the crippled machine.
With the assistance of his skilled mates, the pilot does a superb job of lining up with the runway, knowing that no abort is possible. They've lost at least one thrust reverser and must rely on the brakes to stop the speeding plane once it is on the land.
They stop 50 meters short of the runway's end but it's not over because jet fuel is pouring out of the wing tank and the brakes nearby are overheated. In addition, the damaged engine is running at warp speed ad can't be shut down.
The captain decides not to deploy the safety chutes because of the danger of injuries, so all the passengers, no doubt shaking with relief and eager to deplane, must sit in their seats with a mixture of the hallelujah spirit and anger. It takes the responders about half an hour to stop the out-of-control engine and lay down a layer of fire-retardant foam before the passengers can exit by the usual stairways.
The cause? A small pipe carrying oil runs through the engines. It's thickness is uneven and it's quite vulnerable at its weakest point. When it popped, it sprayed oil all over the inside of the engine, caught fire, and caused one of the turbines to gain so much speed that it simply flew apart and damaged the wing and fuselage. It all happened in seconds so the crew had no warning.
And who was to blame? The majestic Rolls-Royce Company, Ltd. There was a flaw in the manufacturing of the oil pipe. It was quickly corrected when all airlines flying the A-380 were warned to check the unit. About half were found to be faulty. I'm rather glad Qantas was found to be in no way responsible because it's about the only major airline that's never suffered a fatal accident and because when I was stationed on a Coast Guard cutter in mid-Pacific Qantas sometimes flew high overhead and the stewardesses, as they were then called, would chat cheerfully with us by radio. Good on you, mates.
Mostly, the program consists of reenactments -- pretty good ones, for reenactments -- with some newsreel footage, CGIs, and comments by participants and experts.
It's very well done, up to the standards we've come to expect from this series.
