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Investigators Pinpoint Airbus Engine Fault

Qantas starts legal action against Rolls-Royce

By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff

Posted Dec 2, 2010 8:27 AM CST

(Newser) – Following a Qantas engine explosion last month, investigators have isolated a major fault in some Airbus A380 engines, the BBC reports. Rolls-Royce’s Trent 900—the kind used on the Qantas flight—had a misaligned part that weakened an oil pipe wall, resulting in “fatigue cracking,” which led to leaking and a fire. Rolls-Royce says it has “instituted a regime of inspection, maintenance, and removal which has assured safe operation.”

Qantas has embarked on legal action against Rolls-Royce in case a settlement doesn’t pan out. Meanwhile, after grounding its A380 fleet for inspections, two are now back in service. The airline says there is “no immediate risk,” but it will carry out extra engine inspections. Singapore Airlines, another airline using A380s with the Rolls-Royce engine, says it checks its planes “daily.”

Parts of a Rolls-Royce engine are displayed at the 8th China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zhuhai, southern coast of Guangdong province, China, Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2010. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

An Airbus A380 superjumbo of Australian Qantas airline starts at the airbus plant in Hamburg, northern Germany, Thursday, Nov. 18, 2010. (AP Photo/dapd, Axel Heimken)

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Investigators Pinpoint Airbus Engine Fault

Qantas starts legal action against Rolls-Royce

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