China Southern A380 makes emergency landing after hail damage

Hail shattered the windscreen and damaged the radome of a China Southern Airlines Airbus A380 May 26 as it approached the airspace of Beijing Capital International, where it landed safely after the aircrew declared an emergency. The aircraft was flying outside of clouds and avoiding a thunderstorm when it encountered the hail at 11:20 am local time, China Southern said. The hail ruptured the outer layer of the windscreen, limiting visibility from the cockpit. “Because the A380 windscreen has 3 layers, the flight crew judged that only the outer layer had been damaged and that the inner layer was perfectly all right and would allow safe flight,” the airline said, noting that all aircraft systems were operating normally. <br/>