G-HUGE Radome Incident
The following information and series of photos were kindly sent in by Paul Lane and John Johnson
The following information and series of photos were kindly sent in by Paul Lane and John Johnson
Please, if you have any photo's you can share or show on this site, please drop me a line anytime, email Dave
Boeing 747 G-HUGE
Whilst heading to Gatwick following a repaint in France - the en-route Air Testing was terminated early as during the Stall Test there was a loud bang.
It turned out that the nose radome vent holes had been covered with tape for the repaint, and the tape had not been removed.
The air pressure could not equalise fast enough in the rapid descent in the stall and the radome imploded due to the high (relative) vacuum.
This was what they found on landing.
Whilst heading to Gatwick following a repaint in France - the en-route Air Testing was terminated early as during the Stall Test there was a loud bang.
It turned out that the nose radome vent holes had been covered with tape for the repaint, and the tape had not been removed.
The air pressure could not equalise fast enough in the rapid descent in the stall and the radome imploded due to the high (relative) vacuum.
This was what they found on landing.
......and ending with G-HUGE resplendent in the sunshine at Gatwick looking exactly as she should