Shortly after taking off from Singapore in November 2010, a Qantas A380 suffered a severe engine failure. Engine No. 2 exploded and 400 pieces of shrapnel almost cut the engine off the wing and busted holes in fuel tanks. It took the flight crew an hour and a half to work through the problem before devising a plan to safely land the aircraft back at Changi Airport.
Captain Richard Champion de Crespigny AM was in command of the flight and speaks with Andrew and Josh about the complexity of leading during an unfolding disaster. Richard continued to lead once back on the ground and he shares his approach to how communications were managed with passengers to ensure they were comfortable but also advocates when speaking externally about their experience.
Richard has many lessons for those working in disaster management, including his approach to maintaining chronic unease and always been prepared for the unexpected. This episode covers a range of resilience, leadership and personal growth topics with stories from Richard’s books QF32 and FLY!. Richard also shares his personal story of experiencing post traumatic stress following the incident.
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