AHSA Newsletter October 2016 – Aviation Historical Society of Australia

2008 Qantas Airbus A330 VH-QPA suffered a major in-flight upset 154 km west of Learmonth WA, on 7 October 2008. The ABC reported that authorities blamed a faulty onboard computer system for the incident on the flight from Singapore to Perth. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said incorrect information from the faulty computer triggered a series of alarms and then prompted the Airbus A330's flight control computers to put the jet into a 197-metre nosedive. At least 51 passengers and crew were hurt, many suffering broken bones and spinal injuries, when the plane carrying 313 people climbed suddenly before plunging downwards. The plane was cruising at 37,000 feet when a fault in the air data inertial reference system caused the autopilot to disconnect. But even with the autopilot off, the plane's flight control computers still command key controls in order to protect the jet from dangerous conditions, such as stalling, the ATSB said. "About two minutes after the initial fault, (the air data inertial reference unit) generated very high, random and incorrect values for the aircraft's angle of attack," the ATSB said in a statement. These very high, random and incorrect values of the angle attack led to the flight control computers commanding a nose-down aircraft movement, which resulted in the aircraft pitching down to a maximum of about 8.5 degrees." The pilots quickly regained control of the jet, issued a mayday emergency call and requested an emergency landing at the Learmonth air force base in remote Western Australia where passengers received medical treatment. "The crew's timely response led to the recovery of the aircraft trajectory within seconds. During the recovery the maximum altitude loss was 650 foot," the ATSB said. The plane's French-based manufacturer has issued an advisory on the problem and will also issue special operational engineering bulletins to airlines that fly A330s and A340s fitted with the same air data computer, the ATSB said. Passengers on board the jet described being slammed up against the ceiling when the plane dived suddenly as objects were hurled around the cabin. The inside of the plane suffered significant damage including smashed panels. Qantas described the incident involving flight QF72 as a "sudden change in altitude" and said it would cooperate fully with the ATSB. The incident was the fourth involving Qantas planes in two-and-a-half months. On July 25, an exploding oxygen bottle punched a huge hole in the side of a Qantas Boeing 747-400 during a flight from Hong Kong to Melbourne, forcing an emergency landing in the Philippines. No one was injured in the mid-air drama. Just three days later, a Qantas Boeing 737-800 returned to Adelaide after a landing gear door failed to retract. In early August a Boeing 767 bound for Manila turned back to Sydney after developing a hydraulic fluid leak. Sources: ABC News 21 November 2008; ATSB Media release "2009/16: ATSB Second Interim Factual Report into the Qantas Airbus A330-303 in-flight upset, 154 km west of Learmonth WA, on 7 October 2008", 18 November 2009