Aircraft
Engine Failure Prompts A380 Groundings
A Qantas Airbus A380 on its way to Sydney from Singapore this morning experienced an uncontained engine failure soon after takeoff, forcing the airplane to
Photo: REUTERS/STRINGER Singapore
Photo: REUTERS/STRINGER Singapore

A Qantas Airbus A380 on its way to Sydney from Singapore this morning experienced an uncontained engine failure soon after takeoff, forcing the airplane to return to Singapore and prompting Qantas to ground its entire fleet of six A380s. The aircraft, operating as Flight QF32, carried 440 passengers and 26 crewmembers, none of whom sustained injuries. 

The aircraft landed safely at 11:45 a.m. local time after receiving priority clearance for its return to Singapore. The engine trouble reportedly occurred six minutes into the flight, over the Indonesian island of Batam.