Alitalia A321 brakes failure @ Naples
We have just witnessed the most incredible thing in Naples (Italy) yesterday night waiting for takeoff, an helicopter were just starting so the tower told us to wait for taxying to holdingpoint rwy 06, that may jst have saved our aircraft and lives.Second later an Aliatalia a321 landing opposite way rwy 24 and apparantly he did not have any brakes and could not stop tha aircraft fast enough, hi did then go off runway to the right and then with maximum reversers sucking in lots of debris in right engine causing major damage to it and flame out (stated later) then he came on back on rwy to the end of runway still on fairly high speed (thats were we were waiting) then taking the last exit (left) to avoid going into wall at end of rwy coming into apron (going around us) with right engine smoking still in very high speed in complete panic then turning sharp left skidding nose tires so hard withesses says aircraft were actually going for a short time on right main gear and nose gear only like a cartoon managing to make a 180 deg turn in incredible speed turning back on grass and up on the runway again now facing 06. There finally the aircraft came to rest about 500m fwd right of us.The incredible thing is that nobody or no other equipment were damaged (luckily the aircraft normally parked there have not yet landed).We taxied back to gate and 2.5 hrs later the airbus was towed away and airport back to business.
Sometimes you really get to it how quick it could end if things were not so fortunate.
So my question is how could this happen? we did speak to an alitalia technician and he said that one of the brake computers of the airbus was inop (alresdy on HIL =ADD) and the other one broke after landing.
Im not at all familiar with the airbus family so I could not say if an airbus lose all braking capability if both cmptrs are inop?.
If that is the case how can it be possible to release an aircraft to flight with one system inop?, how could such a system be approved ??? im sure there is somthing else that we are not aware of that happened.
Please you out there that knows airbus with any experience in this matter please let me know
Lucky survivor