Richard de Crespigny
Richard de Crespigny, was the QANTAS pilot in charge of QF32, a London to Sydney via Singapore QANTAS flight, an Airbus A 380, when one of the Rolls Royce engines failed over the Riau Islands, Indonesia, four minutes after take-off from Singapore Changi Airport.
After almost two hours assessing the situation, the plane made a successful emergency landing at Changi Airport in Singapore. No injuries occurred to the passengers, crew, or people on the ground, despite debris from the aircraft falling onto houses in Batam.
Richard de Crespigny was born in Melbourne in 1957 and at the age of seventeen joined the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) at the Point Cook RAAF Academy. With the RAAF he flew transport, jet and helicopter aircraft. During his eleven years’ service with the RAAF, he served as Aide-de-Camp to two Australian Governors-General – Sir Zelman Cowen and Sir Ninian Stephen.
In 1986, he joined QANTAS where he flew Boeing 747, Airbus A330 and Airbus A380 jet aircraft. In the 2016, Australia Day Honours, he was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his significant service to the aviation industry, both nationally and internationally, particularly to flight safety and to the community.
