In the early hours of 22 June 2009, an Airbus Industrie A330
(A330), registered VH-QPI (QPI), encountered an area of severe
turbulence associated with convective activity while en route from
Hong Kong to Perth, Western Australia. As a result of the incident,
a combined total of seven passengers and crew members received
minor injuries. After consultation with medical and operational
personnel, the pilot in command continued the flight to Perth. The
aircraft suffered minor internal damage and, after a maintenance
check, was returned to service.
The cloud associated with the convective activity consisted of
ice crystals; a form of water that has minimal detectability by
aircraft weather radar. Consequently, the convective activity
itself was not detectable by QPI's radar. As the event occurred at
night with no moon, there was little opportunity for the crew to
see the weather.
The operator intends to upgrade the weather radar fitted to its
A330 fleet, which will increase the fleet's capability to detect
convective turbulence. Two other minor safety issues were
identified during the investigation relating to the risks
associated with the use of the pilot flight library when turbulent
conditions are encountered, and the engagement of the manual latch
to the cockpit door preventing timely access to the flight deck by
other operational staff. The operator has taken, or is proposing,
relevant safety action to address those issues.