Qantas A388 and Qantas A388 over Pacific on Jun 10th 2018, wake turbulence causes altitude deviation
Last Update: June 14, 2018 / 10:31:15 GMT/Zulu time
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Jun 10, 2018
Classification
Incident
Airline
Qantas
Flight number
QF-94
Departure
Los Angeles, United States
Destination
Melbourne, Australia
Aircraft Registration
VH-OQK
Aircraft Type
Airbus A380-800
ICAO Type Designator
A388
A Qantas Airbus A380-800, registration VH-OQF performing flight QF-12 from Los Angeles,CA (USA) to Sydney,NS (Australia), was enroute at FL320 over the Pacific Ocean about 2 hours into the flight, the aircraft had departed Los Angeles about 75 seconds prior to QF-94. The aircraft initiated a step climb to FL340 at or shortly after the occurrence.
The occurrence became known by passenger reports indicating that they had perceived a sudden loss of weight and were holding hands when their aircraft nose dived for about 10 seconds. The captain announced that they had experienced wake turbulence from another Qantas A380, they were now talking to ATC and were about to change their flight path slightly.
Based on the passenger reports Australia's TSB have asked Qantas for an explanation. A current theory is flight QF-94 encountered wake turbulence from flight QF-12.
On Jun 14th 2018 Qantas' chief pilot explained the trailing aircraft QF-94 encountered some wake turbulence from the leading aircraft QF-12 20nm ahead and 1000 feet above, the wake turbulence caused a jolt to the aircraft for a short period of time with pitch variations of up to 3 degrees. The aircraft climbed maybe 100 feet and descended back to its cruising altitude, the captain took action to avoid further exposure to the wake vortex. There were no injuries and no damage. The occurrence has been reported to the ATSB and the aircraft manufacturer.
The ATSB reported occurrences affecting the safety of the aircraft need to be reported to the ATSB. Based on the facts of this occurrence there was no requirement to notify the ATSB immediately. The operator notified the ATSB within 72 hours, the information was reviewed and no safety investigation was opened.
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Jun 10, 2018
Classification
Incident
Airline
Qantas
Flight number
QF-94
Departure
Los Angeles, United States
Destination
Melbourne, Australia
Aircraft Registration
VH-OQK
Aircraft Type
Airbus A380-800
ICAO Type Designator
A388
This article is published under license from Avherald.com. © of text by Avherald.com.
Article source
You can read 2 more free articles without a subscription.
Subscribe now and continue reading without any limits!
Read unlimited articles and receive our daily update briefing. Gain better insights into what is happening in commercial aviation safety.
Send tip
Support AeroInside by sending a small tip amount.
Related articles
Qantas A388 near Honolulu on May 21st 2014, personal electronic device's battery overheats
A Qantas Airbus A380-800, registration VH-OQK performing flight QF-93 from Melbourne,VI (Australia) to Los Angeles,CA (USA), was enroute near Hawaii…
Qantas A388 near Honolulu on Apr 18th 2014, fuel pump failures
A Qantas Airbus A380-800, registration VH-OQK performing flight QF-94 (scheduled dep Apr 17th, actual dep Apr 18th) from Los Angeles,CA (USA) to…
Qantas B738 at Brisbane on May 4th 2024, severe turbulence injures 3, 4 people out of seats on landing
A Qantas Boeing 737-800, registration VH-VYK performing flight QF-520 from Sydney,NS to Brisbane,QL (Australia) with 143 passengers and 6 crew, was…
Qantas A332 over Pacific on Dec 3rd 2024, sparks seen from engine
A Qantas Airbus A330-200, registration VH-EBQ performing flight QF-16 from Los Angeles,CA (USA) to Brisbane,QL (Australia) with 149 passengers and 9…
Qantas B738 near Sydney on Mar 10th 2025, captain partially incapacitated
A Qantas Boeing 737-800, registration VH-VXI performing flight QF-505 from Brisbane,QL to Sydney,NS (Australia) with 127 passengers and 6 crew, was…
Qantas B738 at Sydney on Mar 3rd 2025, smoke on the flight deck
A Qantas Boeing 737-800, registration VH-VZV performing flight QF-643 from Sydney,NS to Perth,WA (Australia), was climbing out of Sydney's runway 16R…
Qantas A332 near Cairns on Jan 19th 2025, fumes in cabin
A Qantas Airbus A330-200, registration VH-EBK performing flight QF-19 from Sydney,NS (Australia) to Manila (Philippines), was enroute at FL380 about…
Newest articles
SriLankan A320 over Indonesia on Jun 5th 2025, anti ice failure, nav disagree, unreliable airspeed, alternate law, AP and ATHR off
A SriLankan Airbus A320-200, registration 4R-ABM performing flight UL-306 from Colombo (Sri Lanka) to Singapore (Singapore), was enroute and climbing…
Olympic AT72 at Naxos on Jun 7th 2025, engine shut down in flight
An Olympic Air Avions de Transport Regional ATR-72-212A, registration SX-OBP performing flight OA-17 from Naxos to Athens (Greece) with 45 passengers…
Subscribe today
Are you researching aviation incidents? Get access to AeroInside Insights, unlimited read access and receive the daily newsletter.
Pick your plan and subscribePartner

ELITE Simulation Solutions is a leading global provider of Flight Simulation Training Devices, IFR training software as well as flight controls and related services. Find out more.
SafetyScan Pro provides streamlined access to thousands of aviation accident reports. Tailored for your safety management efforts. Book your demo today
AeroInside Blog
Popular aircraft
Airbus A320Boeing 737-800
Boeing 737-800 MAX
Popular airlines
American AirlinesUnited
Delta
Air Canada
Lufthansa
British Airways