On 7 January, over the air space of Oman, a Bombardier Challenger 604 private jet flew 1000 ft beneath in the opposite direction of an Airbus A380 and was reportedly rolled over ‘five times’, both engines flamed out and then plummeted 10,000 ft as it caught in the powerful turbulence of the A380.
Although passengers in the private jet sustained serious injuries and the plane was damaged beyond repair, the pilots miraculously recovered the flight in what was likened to the 2009 “Miracle on the Hudson” by aviation authorities.[1][2]
Not an isolated event, Air Traffic Control around the world have been alerted about A380 incidences[3]
According to ‘The Aviation Herald”, an authority in aviation safety, this is not the first time such incident occurred due to wake turbulence generated by A380 as it crosses above other aircrafts. Some of the recorded incidences are:
| Date | Incidents | Damages |
| 14 Sept 2012 | Virgin Australia B738, wake turbulence from A380, near Bali | unknown |
| 14 Oct 2011 | Air France A320 and Emirates A388, near Frankfurt | unknown |
| 16 Oct 2011 | British Airways A320 and Qantas A388, near Braunschweig | 4 injured |
| 10 Feb 2011 | Antonov A124, Singapore A388 and Air France B744 | TCAS RA (second level advisory to avoid collision) |
| 11 Jan 2009 | Armavia A320, near Tiblisi, turbulence at cruise level due to A380 wake | unknown |
| 3 Nov 2008 | REX SF34, over Sydney | unknown |
(Source: Aviation Herald, 8 March 2017)
As such, it was reported that Air Traffic Control all over the world have recently been instructed to exercise particular care with A380 crossing above other aircrafts.
According to Aviation Herald, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) will be issuing a safety alert on this issue, in particular, precaution about flying near “HEAVY” or “SUPER HEAVY” aircrafts.
The situation in Malaysia
There are currently many A380 operating in and out of KLIA everyday. And heavier airplanes such as the A380 will be more and more prominent.
The current minimum vertical separation distance in our airspace is 1000 ft. This is the same distance which caused the private jet to roll over in Oman.
Most of the air traffic coming in and going out of KLIA fly below 10,000 ft. If the Oman incident happens, there will not be enough room to recover.
We call on the government especially the Department of Civil Aviation to take immediate measure on HEAVY and SUPER HEAVY aircraft wake turbulence. The public and the aviation industry should be made aware on such matter.
In the wake of MH370, we also call on the government to set up an Aviation Security Council under the charge of Parliament. Countries such as Taiwan have such body to deal with aviation safety. Flying is today a regular mode of transport and as such, the government must take a more proactive role in alerting and educating the public on issues surrounding air travel.
[1] http://www.flyingmag.com/increased-lateral-separation-urged-as-a380s-wake-flips-challenger-604
[2] http://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/22/private-jet-flipped-over-in-wake-turbulence-from-airbus-a380.html
[3] http://avherald.com/h?article=4a5e80f3