An Airbus A380 engine exploded minutes after take-off from Singapore but the pilots brought it back safely
Published on Aug 30, 2025 at 10:39 PM (UTC+4)
by Keelin McNamara
Last updated on Aug 27, 2025 at 9:14 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
The Airbus A380 is one of the world’s premier aircraft, serving as a direct rival to the Boeing 747.
Since being unveiled in 2005, the Airbus A380 has been operated by the world’s biggest airlines.
Back in 2010, it was nearly the subject of a potentially enormous disaster while traveling from Singapore to Australia.
Thankfully, however, the crew of Qantas Flight 32 managed to bring it back safely.
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Qantas Flight 32 was forced into emergency landing in Singapore
Qantas Airways is one of several airlines that use the Airbus A380.
It also very nearly suffered a disastrous crash due to a major failure in its engine parts.
For those of you wondering, Qantas Flight 32 was a regularly scheduled service by the Australian carrier.
It was a service that journeyed from London to Sydney, with a stopover in Singapore.
On November 4th, 2010, Flight 32 was taking off from Singapore to complete the second leg of its journey.
The Airbus A380 successfully took off from Singapore Changi Airport, but trouble soon followed.
Four minutes later, a catastrophic engine failure occurred over the Riau Islands in Indonesia.
The crew of the Airbus A380 had to maintain a holding pattern for over two hours.
This was done in order to assess the damage that had occurred on board Qantas Flight 32.
Thankfully, the crew was able to get the airplane safely back to Changi Airport, performing an emergency landing.
What caused the Airbus A380 to almost crash?
So, what happened to the airplane that caused such a catastrophic engine failure?
It turns out that the Airbus A380 very nearly suffered a horrendous crash because of fine details.
The plane had a manufacturing defect inside a Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine’s oil pipe.
The oil pipe in question had a thin wall, which led to a fatigue crack; this, in turn, caused an oil leak and an internal fire.
The fire then subsequently weakened one of the intermediate turbine drive arms in the engine.
This, in turn, caused the intermediate turbine disc to completely fracture and overspeed.
As a result, high-energy debris tore through the engine casing of this Airbus A380.
The shrapnel damage penetrated the wing, damaged the fuel system and a fuel tank, and severed much of the wiring.
Thankfully, the airplane was still able to land safely back in Singapore.
Keelin McNamara is a content writer at Supercar Blondie from Ireland, covering cars, technology, and lifestyle. Despite being a Law graduate, he discovered his passion for journalism during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has worked in the industry ever since. Outside of work, he is an avid MotoGP fan, and is a self-confessed addict of the sport.
