Bad day for Airbus/EADS in le Bourget

[ATC Watcher]

Today their A380 hit a building while being taxied around , dammaging the right wing, most probably this aircraft planned to make flight displays will be grounded for the rest of the show.

Earlier they had announced that their 2nd star, the A400M has engine problems and will not fly either.

[Gulf4uk]

They will have to Wait till Farnborough 2012 show plenty of Egg on Face. Tonight i bet Boeing are laughing there heads off .

PICTURE POSTED This picture of the A380 at le Bourget clearly shows the exte... on Twitpic (http://twitpic.com/5dzh75/full)

[Rollingthunder]

Can you say "TOO LARGE" ?

[FlamantRose]

The A380 will not fly during the Paris Air Show owing to an incident while being towed. The starboard wing hit a building. Small damage to the wing tip but aircraft AOG for the show.

http://s.tf1.fr/mmdia/i/33/8/a380-bourget-10480338zkkaa_1902.jpg?v=1

[crippen]

"Trop grand"? :p

[aviate1138]

Bet this happened after a typical French "liquid enlivened lunch". :rolleyes:

[AndoniP]

Tonight i bet Boeing are laughing there heads off

Yeah, let's all laugh at Airbus because their aircraft can't be towed properly... hilarious.

:ugh::suspect:

[barit1]

But Airbus will make money selling spare wingtips. :}

[Topspotter]

Boeing laughing at airbus?... doubt it, boeing im sure know all to well "sh$t happens"

[Ian Corrigible]

A nearby building with the name "Embraer" emblazoned on the side showed signs of the collision

Confirmation that Embraer is aggressively going after Airbus! :E

Still, a silver lining for spotters at the show: Airbus Borrows Korean's A380 For Displays After Mishap (http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20110620-704409.html)

[SKS777FLYER]

At least the 380 used it's right wingtip to contact the Embraer building, while it's sister 380 used its' left wingtip to contact an Embraer aircraft at JFK.:):p

[JimmyTAP]

Would that be the Embraer CRJ that it hit at JFK?

[ChristiaanJ]

It was a Bombardier RJ that got hit at JFK.

Still, moving the Hippo around still is wrought with difficulties, even at home, isn't it?

[SKS777FLYER]

whoops, my bad. Those pesky RJ's and small buildings, they all look so much alike.:uhoh:

[robertbartsch]

....the plane is NOT too big, however, the wings are too wide.

It is a shame there are not more commerical aircraft manufacturors..... this would serve all better...

[JFZ90]

They will have to Wait till Farnborough 2012 show plenty of Egg on Face. Tonight i bet Boeing are laughing there heads off .

PICTURE POSTED This picture of the A380 at le Bourget clearly shows the exte... on Twitpic

Its only a scratch.....

...it looks like it is parked on the grass - isn't it a bit heavy for that, or is it just an illusion?

[avionic type]

Will the towing crew be redeployed to the line at the French equivalent of the Job Centre ? Haven't Airbus started to make spares for the 380 like wing tips? we wait with bated breath, but will not hold it for long.:ugh::ugh::ugh:

[JimmyTAP]

It was a Bombardier RJ that got hit at JFK.

Really?

Is that a Bombardier CRJ?



I realized it was CRJ - I was only messin'

[Count Niemantznarr]

Well you won't see Boeing demonstrate its 747-8.

Unlike Airbus which can fly its aircraft accurately close to the stall (when pitot tubes are functioning properly), Boeing are scared that competition between test pilots could end up with one of their babies spearing in.

Perhaps then Airbus aircraft are inherently safer.

[Gonzo]

Where's Shell Management claiming that Airbus obviously didn't have a safety case to operate from Le Bourget?

[dwshimoda]

..love it!

[ChristiaanJ]

....the plane is NOT too big, however, the wings are too wide.Robert, let's be honest...
The A380 DOES fit into the "ICAO box", and Airbus does NOT have a monopoly of smashing wingtips....
Just their bad luck doing it twice recently on highy-publicised occasions.

Lets hope the LBG ground crew takes better care of the Korean Air Hippo that AB has borrowed for the demos....

[AKAAB]

The French have stated that the 380 had the right of way and the building was at fault. :p

[flydive1]

How is this Airbus fault if the aircraft was being towed, as it appears?

[ChristiaanJ]

flydive1,
What happened to your sense of humour?

[flydive1]

Did not realised that what you posted was a joke, sorry.

My comment was mostly directed to the one that think that Airbus will be full of red faces

[Groundloop]

The Embraer building is a temporary building put up for the show. Was it erected in slightly the wrong place ie too close to the taxiway?

[flydive1]

Even still it's clearly meant as a jokey comment, no need to get het up..Hey, sorry guys, I sure did not want to upset anyone asking a simple question.

You should not get your knickers in a twist just because someone doesn't laugh at your jokes, maybe all it should tell you is that you should keep your day job;)

Again I apologize for having offended you

[barit1]

In my jurisdiction, buildings ALWAYS have right of way. :uhoh:

http://o2.aolcdn.com/dims-shared/dims3/PATCH/resize/600x450/http://hss-prod.hss.aol.com/hss/storage/patch/6e7873e14551fd82a77490515ed46b6c

[Halton Brat]

Though I understand that this was a towing incident, does the A380 have an external camera fit/Flt Deck screen? Looks as tho' the Nav Lt housing would be an ideal location.......you can have this kit on a motorcycle now.........:=

HB

[baselb]

As I understand it, the building had stopped short...

[Opsbeatch]

...but surely it was the building's fault for not telling the tower it wasn't clear...:E

OB

[ChristiaanJ]

Halton Brat,
Did you miss the story of the earlier episode at JFK ?
http://www.pprune.org/jet-blast/448523-airbus-a380-mishap-jfk.html

The camera issue was discussed in detail, and yes, the Hippo does have several cameras, that can be shown on cockpit displays, but there are none in the wingtips.

CJ

[airsound]

I just watched the Korea Air A380 do its customary display in the hands of Airbus test pilots. The display includes the extraordinary manoeuvre, called 'circonflex', where it does a TOGA climbing turn at near max aoa (16º-ish), with stick full back, and then, on the far side of the field, they select flight idle, put the gear down and 'bunt' the aircraft from about 25º pitch up to 15º pitch down. Apparently it goes to about 0.3g during the manoeuvre.

Sad to say, the commentators were busy talking about range, passenger numbers, sales figures, and other technical details, so they weren't able to point out to the spectators what was happening. But it still looked fantastic.

airsound

[KeysCapt]

This was not a towing incident, the aircraft was taxiing under its own power, and the Airbus position is, the flight crew was on a taxiway assigned by the ground controller. (Thereby implying that the fault belongs to ATC, not the crew)

The tug in the photo is after the fact.

[d&b]

give it a rest! **** happens!!!!! accidents happen!!! maybe you lot need to go and stop slagging others off. And no I am not an employee of Boeing, Airbus, Embraer or any one else. Just getting fed up with all the complete vomit that is appearing against all the builders.

[Daysleeper]

Bad day for Airbus/EADS in le Bourget

In the old days of airshows a "bad day" for a manufacturer would involve destroyed aircraft and large amounts of death. By comparison this is just a minor glitch.

[Yankee Whisky]

YouTube - ‪Airbus A380 Paris Airshow Accident‬‏

This shows it is parked on a weathered and cracked asphalt surface

[ChristiaanJ]

KeysCapt,
I was told it was a towing accident. If you have a source for it being any different, let us know.

Oh, and, d&b, I'm not trying to slag off anybody....
Just waiting for another tractor driver smashing the 747-8 or the Dreamliner into another 'pavilion'.....

CJ

[Rollingthunder]

Aircraft has snuck out of Le Bourget under cover of darkness to Toulouse for repairs. They hope to fix it quickly and get it back to airshow.

[supercarb]

Repaired and back in action at the show yesterday

[Rengineer]

Actually, getting that A380 back to the show in this short time should get Airbus some credit on it own. Anyone knows incidents happen, so a quick repair is also a sales argument.

And at any rate, a company that announces orders worth $72 billion at the show, can probably afford some laughs... :ok:

[Topspotter]

Should cheer them up
BBC News - Airbus and IndiGo confirm record deal for 180 aircraft (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-13884433):ok:

[Mr.Bloggs]

He's probably enjoying a lunchtime drink or two, before setting off home behind the wheel to lecture us from his pc on the perils of those naughty French indulging in drinking and taxiing!;)

[KeysCapt]

KeysCapt,
I was told it was a towing accident. If you have a source for it being any different, let us know.

There are numerous references to this happening during taxi and not under tow. Here is one:
A380 Wing Clips Building While Taxiing at Le Bourget | Flying Magazine | The World (http://www.flyingmag.com/aircraft/jets/a380-wing-clips-building-while-taxiing-le-bourget)

Here a quote:
In the case of the A380, the aircraft's right-hand wing-top hit a structure during taxiing at Le Bourget. The incident occurred around 3:50 p.m. local time at the Victor taxiway.

Aviation Week (http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/blogs/commercial_aviation/ThingsWithWings/index.jsp?plckController=Blog&plckBlogPage=BlogViewPost&newspaperUserId=7a78f54e-b3dd-4fa6-ae6e-dff2ffd7bdbb&plckPostId=Blog%3a7a78f54e-b3dd-4fa6-ae6e-dff2ffd7bdbbPost%3a59d0be6a-8655-4d49-a1f1-590976cdd0d9&plckScript=blogScript&plckElementId=blogDest)

Just Google "A380 Paris incident" or similar and you will see pages of them.

EDIT: I've found other references that say the aircraft WAS under tow at the time, so I guess there is sufficient confusion to put this in some doubt.

[Topspotter]

Latest order score, airbus 586 boeing 47:ok:

[FlightPathOBN]

They may be laughing at the mishap, but they are crying otherwise...

BOEING: 138 jets, mostly expensive widebodies, listed at $21.8 billion.
Real value about $12 billion.

AIRBUS: 730 jets, mostly smaller narrowbodies, listed at $72.2 billion.
Real value about $35 billion.

Airbus:
34 x A320s at list price $2.8 billion.

667 x A320neos at list price $60.9 billion.
(This brings the total A320neo tally of orders and commitments since launch to 1,029 jets, of which 668 with a list price of $61 billion, are firm orders.)

11 x A330s at list price $2.4 billion.

6 x A350s at list price $1.6 billion.

12 x A380 superjumbos at list price $4.5 billion.

Boeing:

Qatar Airways 6 x 777-300ERs
$1.7 billion
Previously booked and unidentified on Boeing Orders & Deliveries website

Undisclosed customer 15 x 747-8 Intercontinentals
$4.7 billion
Commitment

Undisclosed customer 2 x 747-8 Intercontinentals
$635 million
New at the Air Show

Air Lease Corp. 14 x 737-800s, 5 x 777-300ERs and 4 x 787-9s $4 billion
Commitment

Air Lease Corp. 6 x 737-800s
$485 million
New at the Air Show

Norwegian Air Shuttle 15 x 737-800s
$1.2 billion
New at the Air Show

Aeroflot 8 x 777-300ERs
$2.2 billion
Previously booked and unidentified on Boeing Orders website

Malaysia Airlines 10 x 737-800s
$808 million
Previously booked and unidentified on Boeing Orders website

GECAS 2 x 747-8 Freighters and 8 x 777-300ERs
$2.9 billion
Commitment

MIAT Mongolian Airlines 2 x 737-800s and 1 x 767-300ER
$245 million
Previously booked and unidentified on Boeing Orders website

UTair Aviation 33 x 737-800s and 7 x 737-900ERs
$3.2 billion
Commitment

[BOAC]

Unless the perspective in the photos on t'other thread are misleading, it looks like a good job it stopped where it did! The taxiway appears to converge with the building?