The first completed A330 was rolled out on 14 October 1992 , with the maiden flight following on 2 November . Weighing , including of test equipment , the A330 became the biggest twinjet to have flown , until the later first flight of the Boeing 777 . The flight lasted five hours and fifteen minutes during which speed , height , and other flight configurations were tested . Airbus intended the test flight programme to comprise six aircraft flying a total of 1,800 hours . On 21 October 1993 , the Airbus A330 received the European Joint Aviation Authorities ( JAA ) and the US Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA ) certifications simultaneously after 1,114 cumulative airborne test hours and 426 test flights . At the same time , weight tests came in favourable , showing the plane was under weight . On 30 June 1994 , a fatal crash occurred during certification of the Pratt & Whitney engine when an A330 crashed near Toulouse . Both pilots and the five passengers died . The flight was designed to test autopilot response during a one-engine-off worst-case scenario with the centre of gravity near its aft limit . Shortly after takeoff , the pilots had difficulty setting the autopilot , and the aircraft lost speed and crashed . An investigation by an internal branch of '' Direction Generale d'Aviation '' concluded that the accident resulted from slow response and incorrect actions by the crew during the recovery . This led to a revision of A330 operating procedures
a fatal crash occurred
Airbus Industrie Flight 129
Airbus A330