Blast jet's 466 passengers 'so lucky not to die'

The 466 passengers on the Qantas Airbus A380 forced to make an emergency landing in Singapore this month were "very lucky" it did not explode in mid-air, killing everyone on board, aerospace experts said today.

Shocking images in a leaked report show a large hole in the jet's wing support with metal ripped open, revealing the broken mechanism underneath.

The preliminary report by Airbus reveals the aircraft suffered "a cascade of system failures" and not just an engine explosion.

Adrian Mouritz, head of aerospace and aviation engineering at RMIT University in Melbourne, said it was "very, very lucky" that thousands of litres of highly inflammable jet fuel in the wings did not ignite from the ruptured fuel pipe or a spark from severed wiring.

"If that fuel had ignited, the aircraft would have exploded," he said.

The jet had left Singapore to fly to Sydney when one engine blew up in mid-air, forcing it back to Changi Airport. According to the reports, engine parts struck the fuselage immediately above the wings between the two decks of windows, while other metal pieces damaged the plane's belly. Professor Mouritz said depressurisation was "another major hazard".

In a memo to all A380 operators, makers Airbus also gave the first detailed breakdown of what happened to the aircraft following the blast caused by leaking oil from the Rolls-Royce engine.

It said the wing's moving parts became jammed, meaning flight control switched to the system that takes over if several functions stop working. "The crew had to manage a dynamic situation," it said.

Qantas said the captain had retained control of the aircraft at all times and added that he and his crew had continued to have access to critical data such as airspeed.