BA A380 Water leak

[drichard]

It appears there is a another good reason to keep your shoes on on an A380

There appears to have been a water leak after a "trolley hit a water pipe". According to one of the comments , this has happened before on an Emirates A380. Is there a common factor here or is this just coincidence?

Pictures and stories on the UK (news) paper Daily Mail here (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3496709/British-Airways-A380-FLOODED-service-trolley-hits-pipe-causes-water-cascade-upper-deck.html?ito=social-facebook)

[wanabee777]

The break must've been upstream of the water shut off valve.

[nicolai]

The coupling on the floor at the back of the galley can come loose, and it's upstream of the galley shut-off valve (but downstream of the entire cabin SOV).

The ATSB report on a similar occurrence is informative. (http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2014/aair/ao-2014-116.aspx)

[gcal]

It's water! and beats by a country mile the rear toilets flooding on the DC10; a far from unusual occurrence.

[nicolai]

Potable water in the avionics is not much better than black water in the avionics. Even if it doesn't smell so bad.

[sb_sfo]

drichard, the instance previous you were thinking about was probably QF? Got some coverage here a couple years ago.

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

In future, potential A380 Captains will attend a plumbing course.

[Mechta]

Sounds like a bit of faulty design and engineering by Airbus.

On the A380, Airbus input on galley design is probably quite limited, as the galley is 'Buyer Furnished Equipment' sourced by the airline. Airbus would provide the male quick release water coupling in the floor to which the galley would be connected.

On the A350-900, all galleys are from one supplier, with much greater Airbus involvement.

It sounds as though an automatic excess flow shut-off valve is required just before the quick release coupling and some redesign of the galley to provide more protection to the plumbing from trolleys if a reoccurrence is to be avoided.

It will be interesting when the report comes out to see if there was some pre existing damage to the galley which allowed the trolley to get where it did.

[Longtimer]

Let us not forget the flood on the QF aircraft in 2014 Investigation finds a cleaning mop was behind the mid flight flooding of a Qantas A380 cabin | Daily Mail Online (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-2793636/mop-flight-investigation-finds-cleaning-mop-mid-flight-flooding-qantas-a380-cabin.html)

:8

[West Coast]

In future, potential A380 Captains will attend a plumbing course.


Plumbers on planes went out of vogue awhile ago.

[pax2908]

Re. the QF incident and report ... interesting there is a "main switch" on the FA panel, that the FA don't know about, until they contact maintenance?

[sb_sfo]

2908, there are many ways that a F/A can screw up a 380 from the FAP.

[DirtyProp]

It's water! and beats by a country mile the rear toilets flooding on the DC10; a far from unusual occurrence.

I take it this was not included in the MEL?
:E

http://i70.twenga.com/giardinaggio-bricolage/sturalavandini/silverline-633581-sturalavandini-140-tp_6810753859617244609f.jpg

[yotty]

Very amusing, but errant water can cause big problems https://assets.digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk/media/5422f507ed915d1371000555/1-1998_Boeing_737-236_Advanced_G-BGJI.pdf

[Demin250]

Very amusing, but errant water can cause big problems https://assets.digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk/media/5422f507ed915d1371000555/1-1998_Boeing_737-236_Advanced_G-BGJI.pdf
I was a night shift technician on that very aircraft and remember seeing it the following day once it was quarantined by the CAA. The report makes incredibly detailed and fascinating reading.

[Aluminium shuffler]

Other airlines restrict inflight showers to 1st class, so I commend BA on giving economy a shower, whether they wanted it or not. :}

In all seriousness, apart from the obvious electrical concerns, the big risk would appear to me to be an uncontrollable moving mass and its effect on trim and stability. How much mass of water are we talking about here in these leaks?

[glad rag]

check out the alarmingly similar Emirates shower thread from a while ago...

[Mechta]

How much mass of water are we talking about here in these leaks? From http://www.airbus.com/fileadmin/media_gallery/files/tech_data/AC/Airbus-AC-A380-Dec2014.pdf

Capacity: (1) Total Capacity - Standard configuration (six tanks): 1700 l (449 US gal)
Optional configuration (seven tanks): 1998 l (528 US gal)
Optional configuration (eight tanks): 2267 l (599 US gal).

Given that the flight was only 90 minutes from Heathrow, a large proportion of the potable water would already be in the passengers and waste tanks.

If the galley with the leak was one that can be moved fore and aft to suit the seating configuration, and was at the limit of its travel, it may be that the pipe was difficult to attach to the floor connection and not seated properly even before the attack from the trolley.

[Aluminium shuffler]

A couple of tons, if the whole lot got out early in a flight and the leak couldn't be stopped, then. That's a far bit coupled to the moment of an airframe that long. I would assume that only a couple of tanks are connected to each system, though, rather than all being in one big system, so that any leak was far more limited. I know nothing of Airbus architecture, so it's not a rhetorical question.