Was this story important enough to make the news in the UK? At least the "Europe" section of the bbc website say: Apparantly not.
Once again the airbuscentric press in this country; I should stop being so naive I suppose, the bbc after all do think there is only one plane in the world now the a380 has been born.

Well I think you'd droop a bit if you slammed into a concrete barrier nose first, crawled up the wall and burst through a wall!
More a Police thing than an Air Accident Investigation maybe? 3 serious injuries, and more a 'road accident' than a plane crash- it wasn't really a plane, more a self powered moving surface transport device.

Quite a lot can be salvaged. Wouldn't expect much from the electronics bay, but engines and engine parts, APU, aircon packs, wing, tail, flight control units, flight control surfaces, doors, seats, windows, galleys, flight recorder. Quite lucky no serious fuel leak.

The French BEA has launched an investigation :
http://www.bea-fr.org/anglaise/actualite/actu.htm

Indeed, ato - an amazing accident. I am stunned that the injuries (although serious) are as light as reported and that no-one died. I wish all a speedy recovery.

Rainboe,You'd be amazed....

:confused: Wasn't this advertised as a run-up pan? Is that the same concrete barrier that's 1,200 feet from the main runway.

Forget, it I give up. :hmm:

And your point is? You have this thing about concrete barriers. Do you know, there are places where they have buildings beside roads? And walls next to roads! It doesn't mean you should necessarily drive into them, or that they should be removed and replaced with water filled plastic walls.

Don't scratch the wall
http://aerotransport.free.fr/Zmisc/Etihad2.JPG
or face the consequences
http://aerotransport.free.fr/Zmisc/Etihad3.JPG

Rumour running in TLS indicate a/c was taxiing away from area AFTER the tests, person fell in cockpit on the pedestal , All this in conditional.

Heard from the Fire brigade :
Electrics severed, so at least one engine continued to run for hours ( I heard 7h mentioned ) after the accident until ran out of fuel.
3 of the 10 injured are still in hospital, fractures and bruises but not life threatening .That at least is good news.

In the above photograph(the one with the fire engine)is what appears to be a black stripe in the foreground and onto the wall.Is this evidence of an attempt at braking?Anti skid is deactivated at low speed so it may indicate a locked wheel.

You mean like this?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7098547.stm


I think it even made front page on the day. Still listed in the Europe section too.

It's not a rumour according to this article.

Sarcasm dear boy......

.....have been hearing people on the streets saying, well it seems obvious, but i feel i may have to point it put for you? that bbc love airbus. XXX

And we love Rojer Bacon. Bring him back! :D

Press cutting from the wires, for what it's worth

Toulouse accident occurred as Airbus A340 was exiting engine test-pen



Reuters, 20 November 2007


Airbus has told Etihad Airways that the A340-600 wrecked at Toulouse during pre-delivery checks had completed its engine test-runs and was exiting the test area at the time of the accident.
A spokesman for Etihad confirms that the aircraft has been written off.
Neither Airbus nor French investigation agency BEA has given further information about the circumstances of the accident.
But the Etihad spokesman says that Airbus has told the carrier that the engine test-run had already been completed beforehand, and that the A340 had been making its way out of the pen. The pen is located 500m southwest of a point lying about 1,000m along the length of Toulouse Blagnac Airport’s runway 32L.
The spokesman says: “The whole aircraft and its contents were insured by Airbus as the aircraft was operating under a temporary French registration [F-WWCJ] until 21 November when Etihad was set to have the aircraft delivered.”
But he says that the short-term impact on Etihad’s network arising from the loss of the aircraft is “not expected to be significant” because the A340 was initially due to act as a spare to cover heavy maintenance of the A340-600 fleet. Etihad has two of the type.

Nigel, old boy, I think we've hit a bloody wall.
You don't say. I do believe it's time to get off.
Oh by the way, just keep that engine running, we could use the run data.

:)

Pilots HAVE to see the humor in all things, else they wouldn't be pilots!

Serious A340-600 Question
 

I have seen the price £107 million quoted as the value of the hull.
How long does it take to actually build an A340-600?
When is the next vacant delivery slot?
Going to cost some loss of revenue refund I fear.
Why was it still at Tolouse first flown on 21 Sep 2007
Their first two c/n 829 F/F 4/5/2007 delivered 29/06/2007
c/n 837 F/F 1/8/2007 delivered 28/08/2007
Be lucky
David

AvgasDinosaur,How long is a piece of string?
You can say it ends with first flight, but where do you start?
With the arrival of the first section on the final assembly jigs?
With first metal being cut?
With the first purchase orders going out for long-lead items, that have the aircraft's number on it?
Work on some long-lead items may easily start a couple of years before.

Can't stop the engines!
 

An amazing thought had just crossed my mind. Imagine if the Iberia A340 runs off the end of the runway with full reverse thrust and the cockpit separates from the fuselage, as was the case in Toulouse.

This would certainly be a problem for evacuation, engines running with thrust both forward and aft direction and no way to stop them, as was the case in Toulouse. (they let the engine run the tank dry in order to stop).

Chances are good that they would suck up sand and dirt and stop, but the SAA flight, the engines were off the ground.

Food for thought!

A346 driver

Wheelchair
 

We were there in Toulouse airport waiting for the 18.30 BA flight to arrive. The relief crew were standing around. Talking to one of them we were told the plane was delayed due to "no ground fire cover". All the the commercial side fire trucks had gone across the runways to the A340 which was at a 30 degree angle opposite the windows to our departure lounge. Question, what fire cover does Toulouse have such that all the domestic side crews are required for a single incident on the production side of the airport?