China Southern A380 -- Hail damage to radome, cockpit windows, leading edge surfaces
 

"On the 26th of May 2019, a China Southern Airlines Airbus A380 encountered a nasty hail storm, causing significant damage to the radome, cockpit windows and leading edge surfaces. The aircraft, registered B-6140, was performing flight CZ3101 from Guangzhou to Beijing and was cruising at 37,100ft when it entered a nasty weather system."

https://samchui.com/2019/05/27/china-southern-airlines-airbus-a380-receives-significant-hail-damage/

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....161df4de67.jpg

There is already a thread on scraping the A380.
Is this the " How to" thread?

I just wonder if it was avoidable? Then again I seem to remember reading that even wx track deviations were not always easy in that part of the world. Is that true?

Often not approved.
Because only the airways themselves are civilian airspace, so diversion off track means coordination with military ATC will be necessary.
The trick is to tell them you'll be holding on the airway, waiting for their clearance to avoid weather.
Either they provide it or eventually the cell will move off the airway...

You take enough gas to fly 2 hours around weather OR in your best Mandarin you tell them I am going left or right.

Hailstones shatter an Airbus A380
 

Hailstones shatter an Airbus A380's windscreen at 37,000ft, forcing the pilot to issue a mayday call.
The China Southern Airlines flight from Guangzhou Baiyun Int'l was en-route to Beijing Int'l when the pilot issued a mayday call.

Pictures look suitably dramatic, definitely makes your day "interesting". Well done to crew for managing the situation to a positive conclusion.

Hail can be found several thousand feet ABOVE CBs, and does not show on radar.

...which is why we deviate > 40NM UPWIND of appreciable cells... and with the 3D WXR in the 380 there really is no excuse for not having seen what's brewing in the bottom, even if the top doesn't paint (which is normal). This is not likely excusable in cruise. Different story in an approach/departure situation.

And here's the corresponding satellite imagery and flight path at 2:50 UTC:
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....2f978e71e1.png
and at UT 3:00:
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....66984fe9ee.png
and at 03:10 UTC:
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....7011cf7dfb.png

I don't fly in China so I don't know what the repercussions are for deviating from clearance, but if they won't clear you to avoid a CB, surely you just do it and let them deal with it? Chuck-in a Mayday if you like as it will be recorded, 'Mayday Mayday Mayday, xxx123 turning left heading 080 to avoid weather' and save yourself rather than wreck an aircraft or destroy one to the point it's unflyable.

If the repercussions are such that they'd shoot you down for deviating from a clearance, and you think it's acceptable to fly through that airspace with that knowledge, then you really aren't worth your stripes.

XYZ123 require weather deviation right 20 miles.
ATC. Unable
XYZ123 I say again due weather we require 20miles right.
ATC. Unable.
Panpan Panpan Panpan XYZ123 due weather deviating right 20 miles.

Simple. Fill out the paperwork later rather than trash an airframe or spiral out of a Cb.

Yes I do fly in China.
Hope you're not my pilot Globo

Which is it?

Avoid possible hail by 40 NM upwind or 20 NM upwind?

Discussion on topic, not about ATC and routing in China please.....

It's not so much off topic, just posters were getting rather rude to each other, and demeaning ATC. Contribute to the topic, and don't knock the other poster.