Double Trouble for QANTAS

Two Qantas long-haul aircraft have been forced to return to Sydney after one suffered wing flap problems and the other a crack to the outer pane of a cockpit windscreen just hours into their flights.
The first one was Qantas Flight 63; a Boeing 747-48E on its way to Johannesburg in South Africa. It departed Sydney on runway 34L at 11.20 am and climbed to flight level 360. Suffering a crack to the outer pane of a cockpit windscreen the captain decided (while just south of  Tasmania) to turn back to Sydney.

The aircraft windscreen have three layers of glass, and the aircraft did not suffer any depressurisation.

QANTAS B747-48E VH-OEB (CN 25778)          File Photo

It landed safely at Sydney Airport on runway 34L shortly before 3.15pm

Aircraft Information

Aircraft: Boeing 747-48E
Operator: QANTAS
Registration: VH-OEB
Serial Number: 25778
Engines: 4 x GE CF6-80C2B1F
First Flew: 9th June 1993
Age: 24 Years 1 Month
Test Registration: Unknown


The second one was Qantas Flight 7; An A380 flying to Dallas in the United States, departed runway 34L at 2.00 pm and turned around shortly afterwards, circling over the Tasman Sea east of Wollongong for over 2 hours.

The A380 had an issue retracting its wing flaps shortly after take off. While it was not regarded as serious, it would have caused the plane to burn significantly more fuel on the long-haul flight than usual.
In a statement, Qantas said the "mechanical issue" with the A380 would mean "the aircraft can't fly efficiently".
As the Dallas flight is the longest on the network, the captain made the decision to return to Sydney, the airline said.

QANTAS A380-842 VH-OQD (CN 0026)              File Photo

The aircraft landed on runway 34L at 4.38pm Sydney time.

Aircraft Information

Aircraft: Airbus A380-841
Operator: QANTAS
Registration: VH-OQD
Serial Number: 0026
Engines: 4 x RR Trent 972
First Flew: 12th November2008
Age: 8 Years 7 Months
Test Registration: F-WWSX