Trent 900 Turbojet Engines: The Airbus A380’s Weakest Link?

Ever since the narrowly averted disaster of Qantas Flight 32 back in November 4, 2010, are those four Rolls-Royce Trent 900 Turbojet engines the Airbus 380 Super Jumbo’s weakest link?


By: Ringo Bones


Ever since the quick thinking of the skilled crew of Qantas Flight 32 narrowly averted a tragic crash when the number 2 / QF32 engine of their Airbus A380 Super Jumbo exploded in mid-flight back in November 4, 2010. And during the next day, a Qantas 747 also developed engine trouble questions started to be asked about the reliability and air worthiness of the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 turbojet engines used in Qantas’ fleet of passenger planes. Soon after the incident, Qantas share prices took a nosedive, but are the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 turbojet engines used in the Qantas fleet inherently faulty or did Qantas just received a faulty batch of these specific types of jet engines?

The shabby batch of Rolls-Royce jet engines theory appeared more plausible when back in November 8, 2010 Qantas grounded their fleet of Airbus A380s for thorough inspection that lasted three days when their ground crews found out that there are oil leaks on a number of their aircraft using the Rolls-Royce sourced Trent 900 turbojet engines. The oil leaks appear to be localized in the turbine section of the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 turbojet engines. And by November 15, 2010, up to 40 units of the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 turbojet engines used in Qantas’ fleet were found to be faulty and had to be recalled.

By December 2, 2010, the investigative findings of the Australian Transportation Safety Bureau had traced the fault to an oil tube connection in the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 turbojet engines. By this time Qantas has already replaced four engine units since the Flight 32 incident back in November 4, 2010. Preliminary studies by the Australian Transportation Safety Bureau had revealed that this critical section of the jet engine is prone to metal fatigue upon exposure to the routine high temperature and stresses typical in this type of jet engine’s manufacturer’s recommended operational guidelines.

During the course of the investigation, it was later found out only the heroic crew of Qantas Flight 32 that saved the passengers from certain death says Martin Dolan of the Australian Transportation Safety Bureau. Captain Barry Jackson of the Australian International Pilots Association also praised the quick thinking of the crew of the stricken Qantas Flight 32. Since the Qantas Flight 32 incident and the Australian Transportation Safety Bureau’s investigative findings, Qantas has since taken the preliminary legal measures to be compensated by Rolls-Royce for the resulting financial loss. But are the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 turbojet engines the culprit in the Qantas Flight 32 incident and other Qantas’ passenger fleet troubles since November 4, 2010?

The Rolls-Royce Trent 900 turbojet engines are by so means a shabbily engineered product; it is truly an engineering tour-de-force. Imagine being able to supply 370-kilonewtons of thrust all by itself. And four of these massive jet engines are required to fully lift the 560 tonnes fully loaded mass of the Airbus A380-800 Super Jumbo into the air. With a blower measuring almost 3-meters in diameter, it looks impressive enough just being parked there on the tarmac if you’re fortunate enough to see one up close. Maybe our still ongoing global economic recession is to blame for this quality control oversight at Rolls-Royce’s factory.