Top End pilot distracted by coughing passenger, forgot to lower landing gear, air crash report finds
By James Dunlevie and Conor Byrne
Posted Wed 22 Apr 2015 at 7:55am Wednesday 22 Apr 2015 at 7:55am Wed 22 Apr 2015 at 7:55am
A Cessna 310 which made a wheels up landing at Jabiru Airport after the distracted pilot forgot to put the landing gear down. (Supplied: ATSB)
abc.net.au/news/nt-pilot-forgot-to-put-landing-gear-down-atsb-report-finds/6412690
The pilot of a plane carrying two adults and three children became so distracted by one of them coughing in his headphones he forgot to put the landing gear down, a report into a Northern Territory air crash has found.
The Australian Air Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) today released its report into the incident at Jabiru Airport on December 12, 2014, which it described as a "wheels up landing".
"The pilot of a Cessna 310 aircraft registered VH-TBE was completing a charter flight from Oenpelli to Jabiru, Northern Territory. Onboard were the pilot, two adults and three children," the report read.
"During the short flight, one of the passengers coughed incessantly through the headset which distracted the pilot. Once he had the aircraft stable he reached over and unplugged the headset."
The ATSB report said the pilot reported he commenced his pre-landing checks and "verbalised 'undercarriage down' ... but made a decision to defer the associated procedure".
"He elected to keep the aircraft speed slightly higher than normal and, as per the company procedures, kept a stable power setting and profile and only made adjustments when needed at around 300 feet (91 metres)," the report read.
In giving evidence to the ATSB, the pilot said he was "also mindful" of another plane close behind.
He said he had "focussed on the passengers, and made sure they had their seatbelts correctly fastened prior to landing".
The report found the pilot also reported that he "normally completed the remaining memory-recall PUFF (set Propeller pitch, Undercarriage down, and Flaps Full down) check on final approach, but on this occasion he did not".
"As the pilot flared the aircraft for landing, he became aware that the undercarriage was not down and the propellers contacted the ground," the report read.
The pilot and passengers were uninjured and the plane sustained "substantial damage".
"This incident highlights the impact a combination of distractions can have on aircraft operations," the ATSB said.
Heat-affected, dehydrated pilot not familiar with plane equipment
The investigation found the pilot had "about 1,739 hours total flying time, with around 335 of those on twin engine aircraft", with "about 12 hours on C-310 aircraft".
The pilot, who was not identified in the report, was found to be "relatively new to the C-310".
"The pilot reported it had been a 'busy, but fairly typical work day'. For the first flight of the morning he had to remove several aircraft seats to fit and secure a cage suitable for transporting a dog," the report said.
It said the time taken to fit the dog cage in the Top End's notorious heat had "been taxing", with the pilot telling them he had "consumed all of his supply during this first activity and with a passenger arriving late for his flight" he had "elected to wait until he had finished duty to rehydrate".
The pilot said that at no time during the landing approach did he hear the aircraft's landing gear warning horn activate.
"He was not aware if the gear horn was operational ... there is no procedure available to check the horn serviceability during the pre-flight check," the report said.
The report said that "in hindsight, he felt it would have been beneficial to have been familiarised" with the equipment prior to flying the aircraft.
A spokesman for the ATSB would not reveal the name of the pilot or company involved in the incident and said it was "policy" not to do so when smaller companies were involved.
"We would if it was a bigger operator, like Qantas or Virgin," the spokesperson said.
The ATSB spokesperson said to reveal the identities of small companies involved in incidences would be a disincentive for them to cooperate with ATSB investigations.
The spokesperson also said the findings of ATSB reports could not be used in legal proceedings.
A spokesperson for the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) told the ABC the Cessna VH-TBE was registered to David Harding of Darwin.
CASA said a "certificate of airworthiness" had been provided for VH-TBE on December 8, 2014, with the expiry date being December 12 - the day of the crash.
Mr Harding was contacted for comment.
Posted 22 Apr 2015 22 Apr 2015 Wed 22 Apr 2015 at 7:55am