Plane Bound For Etihad Was Undergoing Engine Tests

Ten people were injured Thursday when an Airbus A340-600 undergoing ground tests impacted a wall at an airport in Toulouse, France, according to officials with the planemaker.

MSNBC reports the four-engine aircraft was scheduled for delivery to Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways. Nine people onboard the A340 -- seven of them Etihad employees -- and one person on the ground were injured when the aircraft hit the wall during a full-power engine run-up. At least 80 people responded to the scene.

Three persons onboard the plane received severe injuries, according to Airbus.

Airbus COO Fabrice Bregier said "for reasons still unknown," the plane impacted the wall. The aircraft was damaged so badly it is "irrecoverable," according to Bregier.

The run-up test -- in which engines are throttled up to maximum takeoff power, with the aircraft's brakes applied -- was part of a final round of testing before the aircraft was to be delivered.

An investigation is underway.

FMI: www.airbus.com