Straight Talk with Mark Bouris #222 Richard de Crespigny: The Pilot Who Saved 440 Qantas Passengers
Dec 17, 2025
Richard de Crespigny, former Qantas A380 captain, shares his harrowing experience from the cockpit of Qantas Flight 32, which faced a catastrophic engine failure shortly after takeoff. He delves into the themes of leadership and teamwork, detailing how decisive action averted disaster. Richard introduces concepts of micromorts to compare aviation risks with everyday activities and emphasizes the importance of resilience and thorough training. He also discusses the evolution of aviation technology and the critical role of trust in automation.
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Catastrophic Engine Failure On QF32
- Richard de Crespigny describes QF32: an A380 engine exploded four minutes after takeoff from Singapore on 4 November 2010.
- Shrapnel caused 400 impacts, fuel and hydraulics leaked, and 21 of 22 systems were affected.
Teamwork Creates A Super Brain
- The QF32 success came from the cockpit functioning as a single cohesive team under one pilot-in-command.
- Multiple captains pooled expertise and "merged brains" to create a super brain for problem solving.
Motorbikes Built Early Resilience
- Richard traces his resilience back to childhood motorbike adventures in a 300-square-mile state forest.
- Those experiences taught repair, risk recovery, and pushing physical and mental limits.