Airbus A330 Tanker Loses Boom Just Weeks Before UAE Delivery

Just weeks before being delivered to the United Arab Emirates, during the flight test of the Airbus A330 Tanker Aircraft the refueling boom fell from the multi-role tanker transport. No one was injured during the incident which occurred while the aircraft was flying between Spain and Portugal. The aircraft was flying at 27,000 feet conducting a series of tests, including deploying the boom, when the system fell away at the point where it links to the fuselage, according to an Airbus spokesperson. The Royal Australian Air Force has been advised not to use the tanker while Airbus investigates the incident. Australia is currently the only country to operate the aircraft. In a similar incident in 2011, another A330 tanker lost its refueling boom while en route to being delivered to the RAAF. “A fix has been implemented to resolve that [previous] issue involving the installation of a warning on the MRTT’s control system if the refueling approaches the edge of its cleared envelope,” the spokesman added.