Australian investigators on Friday provided the first official account of the drama aboard the Qantas A380 jet that suffered a midair engine explosion last month, describing in vivid detail the damage to the plane’s wing and fuel systems and lauding the crew for bringing the crippled plane with 469 people to a safe landing in Singapore a mere 150 yards from the end of the runway. The interim report, released by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, confirmed that metal fragments from the splintered turbine of the plane’s No. 2 engine tore holes in the left wing and fuselage minutes after takeoff from Changi International Airport as the plane ascended to about 7,000 feet. The explosion set off a cascade of electrical and hydraulic failures and emergency warnings in at least 10 other areas of the aircraft, leaving the plane with limited flight controls, the report said.
