Flying into A380 vortex 1000 feet below - Accident over the Arabian Sea - AVweb

Challenger Accident Spurs Cautions for A380 Separation

What has been classified as an accident involving a Bombardier Challenger 604 is prompting international flight-planning organization Flight Service Bureau to caution about the need for lateral separation when smaller aircraft fly near an Airbus A380. On January 7, Challenger 604 D-AMSC, operated by MHS Aviation, was flying over the Arabian Sea at FL340 en route to Abu Dhabi when it lost control, resulting in “significant loss of altitude, abnormal flight attitudes and accelerations beyond the certificated flight envelope,” Bombardier confirmed to AIN. After losing control, the crew shut down one engine due to a “high inter turbine temperature,” but the other engine remain operational. The aircraft is believed to have dropped to as low as 10,000 feet, according to Flight Service Bureau, which cited reports that the aircraft had encountered wake turbulence that had caused it to roll several times. The crew eventually regained control, relit the engine and diverted to Muscat, Oman. Some of the nine people aboard were seriously injured, and the aircraft was written off due to damage from G forces. Bombardier confirmed that the crew reported that before the event “an oncoming large transport-category aircraft passed them with 1,000 feet clearance above, and slightly offset to the left.” That aircraft is believed to have been an A380. The event was classified as an accident, and the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation is leading the investigation.