[txcwpalpha]

The A380 was already in production at the time of the Feb 2006 test. No modifications to the wings were required because it did not fail it's structural stress test. The entire point of the test was to gather data on what load the test wings (which are weaker than the production wings) failed at, which is why they intentionally broke the wings. The engineers then used this data to calculate the load limit that the production wings (which are stronger than the test wings) failed at. The calculated load limit for the production wings was above the EASA certification requirement, meaning the wings passed their test.

[jussij]

> The A380 was already in production at the time of the Feb 2006 test.

There is more than one version of the A380.

But there was no A380 Airbus with a 550 seat capacity in service at that time.

The whole point of that wing testing was so this newer, higher capacity A380 could get certification.

http://www.modernairliners.com/airbus-a380/airbus-a380_histo...

25 October 2007 - The first commercial flight of the A380 took place from Singapore to Sydney. All seats were auctioned off for charity.

FYI that link also shows the certification wing test failed:

14 February 2006 - Stress testing of the wing revealed that the wing broke at 146% of the required level instead of 150%. Further strengthening was added which increased the weight by 30Kg

[txcwpalpha]

>There is more than one version of the A380.

There is only one version of the A380, the A380-800.

>But there was no A380 Airbus with a 550 seat capacity in service at that time.

I didn't mean "in service", I meant "in production". You're right that it wasn't in service at the time, but pieces of the plane had already been started to be produced, thus "in production".

>The whole point of that wing testing was so this newer, higher capacity A380 could get certification.

There was/is no "newer, higher capacity A380". This was the certification for the original (and only) A380.

We're just arguing semantics and talking past each other. During the test, the wings 'failed', but this failure was intentional. I see where you're coming from in your statement that it was a "failure", but my point is that the test passed, because the test did exactly what was needed to provide data for the necessary certification, which was achieved based on the test.

edit: edited to be less inflammatory

[skellington]

Maybe you're not reading his quotes carefully enough. The wing failed at 146% of max design load which was BELOW the required failure limit of 150% which caused Airbus to add more structure to strengthen the wing.

https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2006-1...

QUOTE: Since manufacture of the initial wingset used in the tests, Airbus has refined the design, which will be slightly different on production rigs as a result of continued development, according to the European manufacturer. One factor may have been that earlier A380 weight-saving exercises had left no margin for error in the formal static load tests.