A380 wing snaps before design load limits..

[wmuflyguy]

That article paints a scary picture.

I can't believe they would ever consider certification if it couldn't pass a test. Close enough doesn't count to me.

 

[EagleRJ]

How about that Asian carrier (forget which one) that had an engine fail on a 747 at cruise with the autopilot on, didn't notice it, and had the plane roll off into a dive losing something like 30,000'? The crew applied something like 1.7x max load factor during the recovery, and the wing held.

Sooner or later, an A380 will be subjected to such an extreme test. I guess we already know what the outcome will be...

 

[Junkflyer]

Not to worrry, the tail will fail before the wing.