Factual Information
On 30 June 2022, at 1110 UTC (1 July 2022, 0310 local time), an Airbus A380-842 aircraft, registration A6-EVK, operated by Emirates, departed from Dubai International Airport (OMDB) for a scheduled commercial flight to Brisbane International Airport (YBBN), Australia. The aircraft carried 529 persons: 501 passengers, 4 flight crew, and 24 cabin crew. The Commander was the pilot flying, and the Copilot was the pilot monitoring.
After blocking out from parking stand Alpha 5, the flight crew requested taxi via Zulu taxiway and were instructed by Ground South controller to hold short at the stopbar. Takeoff clearance was given at 1110:06, and the aircraft lifted off at 1110:30.
History of the Flight
Approximately one hour and 15 minutes into the flight, while cruising at flight level 310, both flight and cabin crews heard a bang sound. The ECAM displayed a WHEEL TIRE PRESS LO warning on the wheel page, indicating zero pressure on body landing gear (BLG) wheel 17. The flight crew executed the ECAM procedure and reviewed the Flight Crew Operations Manual (FCOM) for suspected tire damage. The L/G Wheel Tire Damage Suspected ECAM Not-Sensed Procedure was activated, advising taxi with care and affected landing distance. The flight continued and landed uneventfully at YBBN.
Injuries to Persons
No injuries were reported among passengers or crew.
Damage to Aircraft
Post-landing inspection revealed that wheel assembly 17 had experienced a tire burst, and the impact of a defragmented tire chunk had damaged the belly fairing structural panel (197ET). This panel, an access panel with standard fasteners spanning frames 67 to 72 on the fuselage in the upper belly fairing area, was liberated and not found. The damage was observed between frames 69 and 72. The panel was supported by 110 screws and washers. A review of aircraft maintenance records found no previous damage or repair to this panel. No other wheels were damaged.
Aircraft Information
The Airbus A380-842 is a double-deck, wide-body, four-engine aircraft. It is equipped with four GP7270 turbofan engines manufactured by Engine Alliance LLC. The aircraft was delivered to Emirates on 20 December 2019 (manufacturer serial number 0260) and had accumulated 6,412.38 flight hours and 917 cycles prior to the incident. The last maintenance check, '3A', was completed on 12 May 2022. The aircraft was airworthy and released to service normally.
Tire and Wheel Information
Wheel 17 is a non-braked aft belly-landing gear (BLG) wheel assembly with a radial tire size 1400 x 530 R23. Normal operating pressure is 15.0 bar (218 psi) to 15.8 bar (229 psi), with a maximum rated pressure of 17.9 bar (260 psi). The tire involved was a brand-new tire (no re-treads) from Michelin, France, received on 7 January 2022, with an EASA Form 1 release date of 12 March 2020. The wheel serial number was B1116, and the tire serial number was 0056B149. The wheel had 732 cycles since new and 171 cycles since installation on A6-EVK on 27 January 2022. Tire pressure checks are performed daily using the Tire Pressure Indication System (TPIS). The last daily check on the aircraft was on 30 June 2022 at 22:20 UTC, during which wing landing gear wheel 5 and BLG wheel 15 were replaced.
The tire failure analysis included visual inspection and complementary analysis at the manufacturer's facility. The tire structure in the bead area consists of four carcass plies. The inspection revealed frayed cords from carcasses NC3 and NC4, indicating damage by tire rolling. An unexpected angle variation between carcass cables was observed in the burst zone. The tire burst pressure was calculated as 321.6 psi.
Probable Cause
The investigation did not state a probable cause in the summary report.