Originally Posted by
ALAEA Fed Sec
Qantas doesn’t want to look for cracks earlier than the AD specifies because it would be very inconvenient to find them early...
Hi guys thought I would check in. Various opinions on here. If I had a little more time I would debunk everything said but I'll tackle this one for now.
Qantas did not originally pull these checks forward (even though Virgin had). Qantas Engineers in Bne were working in the landing gear bay and noticed the crack. They reported it. The manager went off his tree at them for seeking defects they weren't asked to look for. Qantas had no option other than to check their aircraft after one was found cracked.
Now Qantas could check the other aircraft, it takes no longer than an hour with a torch and a rag. They will not because if they do the aircraft must be immediately grounded. I found it confronting today to have Qantas say that these cracks pose no real danger even if an aircraft continues to fly. If that is the case, why is an aircraft with a found crack immediately grounded as per the FAA AD. BTW, the same AD says that these cracks could cause the loss of control of the airplane. This is a serious issue that Qantas are playing down for the sake of profit.
They grounded the A380 fleet following the fractured stub oil pipe on QF32. Not knowing the "condition" of the power by the hour engines on the other A380 fleet they were prudent and grounded them to verify.
Are there a whole lot of options vesting this week?
Candidly, Andrew David is not credible on a good day. Where is the CEO?