[skeptoid]

Most extraordinary!!

[Army Air Corps]

I bet the insurance company isn’t pleased.

Truly incredible that no one was killed.

[Army Air Corps]

[rawhide]

Any word on what actually caused the accident to happen?

[MindBender26]

No PAX on board. During engine test at Airbus plant

Regarding where plane ended up, guess engines worked really well!

“If it’s not Boeing, I’m not going!”

[Yo-Yo]

Wrecked A340 was unchocked, with engines at high thrust: investigators
By David Kaminski-Morrow

French investigators state that the Airbus A340-600 involved in an accident at Airbus’ plant in Toulouse last week was undergoing a final test of the engines and brakes when it accelerated from standstill into the test-pen wall.

No technical malfunction has been found in either the Rolls-Royce Trent 500 powerplants or the A340’s brakes.

France’s Bureau d’Enquetes et d’Analyses has released preliminary findings after downloading information from the aircraft’s flight-data and cockpit-voice recorders.

BEA says the aircraft, which was due to be delivered to Etihad Airways on 21 November was at a standstill but that the wheels were not chocked.

Initial information from the flight recorders, it says, shows that all four engines were operating at “high power” for around three minutes.

BEA says the aircraft then began to move forward and the A340 struck the blast-wall about 13s later.

“At this stage no technical fault with the braking systems and engines has been discovered,” it adds. “The investigation is continuing to determine the exact circumstances under which the incident occurred.”

Nine personnel from Airbus and United Arab Emirates engineering company Abu Dhabi Aircraft Technologies were on board the jet at the time, five of whom were hospitalised as a result of the 15 November accident.

[Yo-Yo]

Toulouse A340 throttles not idled until 2s before wall collision
By David Kaminski-Morrow

Flight-recorder information from the Airbus A340-600 involved in the Toulouse ground-test accident last week shows that the aircraft’s engines were not retarded to idle until two seconds before the jet struck its test-pen wall.

The aircraft, which had been performing an engine and brake test, was travelling at around 30kt (55km/h) at the time of impact.

French investigators have determined that the A340-600, which was undergoing pre-delivery checks, was being held at standstill with the parking brake on and all four Rolls-Royce Trent 500 powerplants running with a relatively high engine pressure ratio of 1.24-1.26.

Wheel chocks were not inserted under the aircraft at the time of the 15 November accident.

In an information telex to operators Airbus states that high-thrust engine ground runs are normally only performed on one powerplant at a time, with the corresponding engine on the opposite wing running at limited thrust to counterbalance. It adds that wheel chocks should be installed during such tests.

While the parking brake is set, the A340’s alternate brake system provides the brake pressure. This pressure was normal during the Toulouse A340’s engine run.

Investigation agency Bureau d’Enquetes et d’Analyses states that the aircraft, for as-yet undetermined reasons, began to move forward after the engines had been running for about 3min.

The Airbus communication says the crew applied brake-pedal input within 1-2s of the initial movement and switched off the parking brake; the regular braking system’s pressure rose to its normal level.

But Airbus adds that all four engine thrust levers were only retarded to their ‘idle’ setting about 2s before the aircraft collided with the wall. By that point the aircraft had been in motion for around 11s.

“There is no evidence of any aircraft system or engine malfunction,” says Airbus vice-president for flight safety Yannick Malinge. “Airbus reminds all operators to strictly adhere to [aircraft maintenance manual] procedures when performing engine ground runs.”

Investigations are still continuing into the accident which destroyed the aircraft and injured several of the nine personnel on board. The jet had been scheduled for delivery to Etihad Airways on 21 November.

[Non-Sequitur]

This is the one where they locked the brakes, went to max power on the engines, and it took off on them right?