The Airbus A320 family consist of A318, A319, A320, A321 and ACJ business jet. These Aircrafts are usually short to medium range. All narrow-body, commercial passenger twin-engine jet airliners manufactured by Airbus.
Design of Airbus A320 family
The Airbus A320 family are narrow-body (single-aisle) aircraft with a retractable tricycle landing gear and are powered by two wing pylon-mounted turbofan engines. The Airbus A320 family is the only narrow-body aircraft from Airbus.
The Airbus A320 family are low-wing cantilever monoplanes with a conventional tail unit with a single vertical stabilizer and rudder. Wing swept back at 25 degrees, optimised for maximum operating Mach number 0.82.The Airbus A320 is the first narrow body airliner to have a significant amount of its structure made from composite material. Its tail assembly made almost entirely of such material by CASA. CASA also builds the elevators, main landing gear doors, and rear fuselage parts.
Summary
Body. |
Narrow Body, single aisle. |
Landing gear. |
Tricycle. |
Type of main Landing gear.. |
. |
number of main Landing gears. |
3. |
no of wheels in the L/G.. |
6. |
wing. |
cantilever monoplanes. |
Wing swept back. |
25 degrees. |
Maximum operating mac number. |
0.82 |
wing tip devices. |
winglets or sharklets. |
Engines attachment. |
wing pylon-mounted.. |
Number of engine. |
2. |
Engine type. |
Pratt & Whitney PW6000 series (A318 only).CFM International CFM56-5 series. IAE V2500 series. |
Thrust Reverser. |
Pivoting doors (CFM).Cascade Reverser (V2500) |
Tail Type. |
conventional. |
APU. |
APS 3200. |
Flight controls. |
Fly by wire. |
Control column |
Side sticks. |
Avionics. |
EFIS, ECAM |
Accidents and incidents involving the Airbus A320 family
A319
- On 19 January 2003, Northwest Airlines Airbus A319-114 and registered as N313NB, was damaged by maintenance personnel at LaGuardia Airport being taxied from a maintenance area to the gate, striking the gate and a Boeing 757, collapsing the nosegear. The Airbus was damaged beyond repair and written off.]
- On 10 May 2005, a Northwest Airlines DC-9 collided on the ground with a Northwest Airlines Airbus A319 that had just pushed back from the gate at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. The DC-9 suffered a malfunction in one of its hydraulic systems in flight. After landing, the captain shut down one of the plane’s engines, inadvertently disabling the remaining working hydraulic system. Six people were injured and both planes were substantially damaged.
- On 12 August 2010, Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 75, using an Airbus A319-111 and registered as 4K-AZ04, suffered a collapse of the undercarriage when the aircraft departed the runway on landing at Atatürk International Airport, Istanbul, Turkey. The aircraft was substantially damaged but all 127 passengers and crew escaped unharmed.
- On 24 September 2010, Wind Jet Flight 243, using an Airbus A319-132 and registered as EI-EDM, landed short of the runway and broke an undercarriage when the aircraft attempted landing at Palermo Airport, Italy. Preliminary reports name windshear as one possible cause for the accident. The aircraft was seriously damaged and was written off but stopped in the grass out of the runway. 34 passengers suffered minor injuries.
- On 24 May 2013, British Airways Flight 762, using an Airbus A319-131 and registered as G-EUOE, returned to London Heathrow Airport after fan cowl doors detached from both engines shortly after take off. During the approach a fire broke out in the right engine and persisted after the engine was shut down. The aircraft landed safely with no injuries to the 80 people on board. A preliminary accident report revealed that the cowlings had been left unlatched following overnight maintenance. The separation of the doors caused airframe damage and the right hand engine fire resulted from a ruptured fuel pipe.