Faulty Line Grounds Plane In Frankfurt

It's the kind of problem that happens on any given day to an airliner in regular service... but when you're talking about Airbus' forthcoming A380 superjumbo, now undergoing a globe-crossing shakedown flight, a leaking hydraulic hose turns into a much bigger problem.

German news reports state the faulty hose, part of the elevator control system on the Lufthansa-bound A380 that week visited the United States earlier this week, forced a three-hour delay with the plane's planned departure Friday night from Frankfurt, bound for Hong Kong.

While in most cases a spare part would be available at larger airports, for the A380 Airbus had to fly the replacement part to Frankfurt onboard a corporate jet from Toulouse, France. Crews in Frankfurt reportedly first tried to fix the problem with a part from an A340, but the repair didn't take.

The delay caused the flight's 439 passengers -- mostly employees with Lufthansa, Airbus and airport operator Fraport -- to sit tight at the terminal, while maintenance workers installed and tested the new part. The flight departed for Hong Kong early Saturday.

The same aircraft is scheduled to return to the US Monday, when it flies to Washington's Dulles International Airport.

FMI: www.airbus.com