A340-600 wrecked at Toulouse?

[fincastle84]

Apologies if I seem naive, but I've just received an email containing a narrative & photos showing a brand new A340-600 which was being collected on behalf of Etihad. Basically the story goes that a full engine run up resulted in a Cat 5 aircraft after it tried to get airborne. It's definitely in the Etihad livery.


Can anyone confirm that this is a true story?:confused:

[Flightmech]

This happened many years ago??

[hetfield]

It's true.

In the meanwhile the majority is wrecked in the air.

[wiggy]

Yes, it is a true story and quite an unpleasant one for those involved.

FWIW I travelled through Blagnac a day or two after the accident happened and it was not a pretty sight. The aircraft was left in position with it's back broken across a blast wall for several days - in full view of the Terminal buildings and the travelling public. It was Nov 2007.

Link to one local newspapers coverage of the accident and the subsequent report here:

Blagnac. La vérité sur l'accident de l'Airbus - Haute-Garonne : LaDépêche.fr (http://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2008/11/21/495765-blagnac-la-verite-sur-l-accident-de-l-airbus.html)

Slideshow ("diaporama") of pictures here:

17h13: l'A340 fonce dans le mur (Blagnac. Crash de l'A340) (http://www.ladepeche.fr/blagnac-crash-de-l-a340_di194-1.html)

[fincastle84]

Thanks Wiggy for the update & for confirming that I'm not totally senile (as opposed to what Mrs F thinks!)

[chevvron]

I remember reading years ago that the French (at least up to WW2) liked their throttles/thrust levers set up so you pull back for max power and push forward for minimum; was that the case here I wonder?

[DaveReidUK]

was that the case here I wonder?

No, only A340s built before 1939 have their throttles set up like that.

[SpringHeeledJack]

Didn't they use the undamaged parts on another aircraft, or am I remembering incorrectly ?


SHJ

[Lord Spandex Masher]

Somebody pulled a CB when they shouldn't have.

[India Four Two]

I've just received an email containing a narrative & photos showing a brand new A340-600 which was being collected on behalf of Etihad

fc84,

I hope it wasn't the appallingly racist email that was circulating at the time of this accident.

[jumpseater]

I hope it wasn't the appallingly racist email that was circulating at the time of this accident.

If it is, he needs to get a new server ...

[Skylion]

The nonsense racist version of the saga does unfortunately continue to do the rounds and crops up every now and then.

In case that's the one you've seen:

a) The aircraft was on a pre-delivery check and was still owned by Airbus.
b) The engine run was being conducted by Airbus, not Etihad, staff.
c) It was not hushed up and couldn't have been as it was in full public view.
d) It was on worldwide newswires within the hour.
e) The subsequent reports have long been public.

[PAXboy]

I recall there being a video of it happening. VERY nasty for all concerned.

[barit1]

The story about the CB being pulled is bogus. It was a case of all four run up against the parking brakes, and (IIRC) when it started to move, rather than retard thrust, the crew tromped on the brake pedals, which released the brakes on the center MLG.

[DaveReidUK]

The story about the CB being pulled is bogus.

Quite so - that was one of the cornerstones of the hatchet job which, sadly, went viral very soon after the accident.

It was a case of all four run up against the parking brakes, and (IIRC) when it started to move, rather than retard thrust, the crew tromped on the brake pedals, which released the brakes on the center MLG.

That's precisely what the official report said.

http://www.bea.aero/docspa/2007/f-cj071115/pdf/f-cj071115.pdf (in French only).

[MattGray]

The claim in that racist email 'without a single hour of airtime' is also quite untrue as it had done several weeks of test flying. There are photos around of the aircraft in question F-WWCJ in flight eg

http://img1.pictaero.com/2007/11/02/s/2379.jpg


Many of the photos in the mail are also completely irrelevant - the Airbus A340 doesn't have beds! Nor does it have an internal staircase!

All in all a very clumsy hoax but one which many are all too ready to believe. I've lost count of the number of times it has been sent to me.

[ilesmark]

Paxboy - any idea where to find this video of it happening? The only ones I've found on youtube are compilations of stills.

[TURIN]

I received this email a few months ago and was so incensed I replied to everyone on the (very long) mail list and directed them to the truth.
It resulted in a blazing row with a friend of the family who thought it was just 'a bit of fun' and that I should 'get a sense of humour'. :ugh:

Snopes is your friend when it comes to stuff like this. They are not always accurate but they're usually a lot better than the viral emails.

See here..

Snopes-Etihad a340 (http://www.snopes.com/photos/airplane/etihad.asp)

[Background Noise]

..and the search still works: http://www.pprune.org/rumours-news/300539-brand-new-etihad-a340-600-damaged-toulouse-several-wounded.html