[Peetwo]

Update: 17/12/17 - Chester bellys up at West Sale.

‘Wheels-up’ landing puts air safety minister’s flight in peril

Transport Minister Darren Chester.

The type of Cessna 337 light plane involved in the incident.

• 12:00AM December 15, 2017
  
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  Political reporter
  Canberra
  The cabinet minister responsible for air safety was involved in a “wheels-up” landing after the pilot became distracted by a mobile phone and failed to lower the landing gear, in what the regulator dubbed a “serious incident”.
  
  Transport Minister Darren Chester was travelling in the back seat of the light plane on a Nov­ember 10 flight from Essendon to West Sale in regional Victoria. He realised the pilot had not lowered the wheels only when he heard the belly of the Cessna 337 scraping along the runway.
  
  The incident was reported immediately to transport safety regulators, who were faced with the unusual decision of considering whether to mount an investigation into an incident involving their own minister.
  
  The Australian Transport Safety Bureau categorised the mishap as a “serious incident” and concluded that an accident had nearly occurred, although it decided not to pursue the issue, while a separate report was also filed with the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.
  
  
  “During approach, the crew did not extend the landing gear resulting in a wheels-up landing. The aircraft sustained minor damage,” the ATSB report found.
  
  The Australian understands the light plane skidded for up to 250m and its rear propeller made very light contact with the ground. Mr Chester said the incident lasted for only a matter of seconds.
  
  “It was surprisingly smooth and the only time I became aware that something had gone wrong was when I heard the noise of the fuse­lage making contact with the runway,” he told The Australian.
  
  The plane belongs to and was piloted by Mark Noble, the director of Bairnsdale Air Charter, which has been operating in the Gippsland region since 1966.
  
  The Australian has confirmed the company was not the operator for the November 10 flight involving Mr Chester.
  
  Mr Noble is well known to Mr Chester, who yesterday confirmed he had flown with him on hundreds of occasions, saying the pilot had accumulated about 9000 hours in the air.
  
  “I regard him as a highly capable and professional pilot and I look forward to flying with him again. He indicated he made a mistake and fortunately neither of us was injured,” Mr Chester said.
  
  The Australian has confirmed that Mr Noble became distracted when his mobile phone rang upon descent to the West Sale Aerodrome and filed a report with the ATSB and CASA indi­cating this.
  
  It is understood that Mr Noble did not answer the phone calls, but became distracted by how loud the ringtone on the phone was.
  
  “The pilot indicated he has appropriate protocols in place not to take phone calls during landing but he failed to switch off his phone — it’s just a simple case of human error,” Mr Chester said.
  
  “He had the right policies in place, but the phone wasn’t turned off.”
  
  He played down the incident, saying it was an “amazingly calm” and “uneventful” landing.
  
  Mr Noble said he had reviewed his protocols to ensure a similar incident did not recur: “Basically, the phone is disconnected from the top of descent. And then they are rechecked at 1000 feet where, as before, they were disconnected at 1000 feet.”
  
  He said he was distracted by the ringtone’s volume. “It was turned up full,” he said. “It automatically connects to the audio system if the bluetooth is turned on. It just about blew my eardrums out and I went to turn it off ... It was very distracting.”
  
  The plane was jacked up and its wheels lowered so it could be moved off the runway.[/size]

&.. from the O&O thread: ATCB O&O investigation No: AO-2015-007

  5 hours ago">Copy of ATSBSearchResults.xlsx (Size: 125.43 KB / Downloads: 4)      

Ps.

Plane carrying federal transport minister in serious safety scare

A plane carrying the federal transport minister has been involved in a serious safety scare.

Comments via the Oz:

Alexander2 DAYS AGO


Very odd that this has remained under wraps until now or is it? Wouldn’t be Minister Chester trying to avoid light shining on his aviation rules expert body CASA or the accident investigator ATSB would it? The CASA that’s still in a colossal 30 yr make work program costing several hundred $million and killed off General Aviation in the process. The snail’s pace ATSB that has had to have the Australian Senate make it redo its faulty reporting and led to the Canadian safety investigator being called in to review same. Alex in the Rises

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Alexander2 DAYS AGO


PS, sorry for Mr. Noble, very embarrassing. All such retractable wheels type aircraft have an audible warning horn system which sounds off when the power levers are reduced for landing and most times this will alert the pilot in time to avoid humiliation. Unfortunately the nature of controlling your flight path to a safe landing might mean carrying more power close to touch down and the warning then is too late. In this technically innovative era there could be means to overcome many such system deficiencies but in the General Aviation industry that is dying by a thousand regulatory cuts combined with CASA fee gouging and hopeless administration there’s little room or appetite for innovation. Never mind, at least it’s all ‘jobs and growth’ in Can’tberra, pop. near 400,000 and 1,200 Commonwealth instrumentalities. Alex again

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Rod2 DAYS AGO


Proof indeed that the minister wouldn’t recognize an aircraft if it fell on him. just another one of a series presiding over the demise of the GA industry...

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Chris2 DAYS AGO


@Rod “Proof indeed”??? I wasn’t aware that passengers could be held accountable for aircraft incidents.

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Ted2 DAYS AGO



Chris, Rod is saying that it would be nice, some would say essential, that the minister for aviation knows a bit about flying and is on top of his portfolio.
The way CASA is run , one would assume that’s not the case.[/size]

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Alexander2 DAYS AGO


PPS To those who have no direct knowledge of General Aviation (GA) flying and are reading some uncompromising criticisms of the pilot. Firstly, having had a pilot career in GA for more than 50 yrs, and having being personally involved in two wheels up landings, I have never heard of a person being injured in such cases. Quite different to larger aircraft, airliners wheels up landings are definitely high risk. Secondly to handle an aircraft to a safe landing may require, at times, a great level of skill. A gusting crosswind, visibility in rain, fluctuating wind direction, turbulence and wind shear, other traffic and radio chatter are some major concerns that might cause the pilot to prioritise his concentration on handling and in the process not make the final wheels check. It’s called human nature and I suggest it’s better to realise that no one is infallible; blame, shame and stomp on the pilot might be good for ego but will do nothing to diminish the risks. Actually wrong psychology probably increases the risk.

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B J2 DAYS AGO


@Alexander  It also goes against the no-blame self-reporting of all incidents culture that has made our skies infinitely safer.

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Owen2 DAYS AGO


@B J @Alexander You reckon the pilot would have to 'self report' this event? No one would have noticed anything unusual? Pull the other leg - it yodels![/size]

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Ted2 DAYS AGO



Alexander, 300 feet, Stable approach, runway clear, pitch, undercarriage flap.
That’s the call, says it all really
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Owen2 DAYS AGO


@Alexander So the next time I fly, do you think I should insist the cabin crew check with the pilot to see that he has not been so distracted that he has omitted some one or more essential actions?  i'm be ginning to think walking (even on our rather dangerous roads) may be preferable![/size]

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B J2 DAYS AGO



@Owen @B J @Alexander  1) pretty hard to hide a Skymaster sitting on its belly.
2) Yes, pilots do, including lapses in concentration. The reason for no blame reporting is to be able to do "Root Cause Analysis (ICAM...)" of incidents to prevent their recurrence. [/size]

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Botswana O'Hooligan2 DAYS AGO


A prudent aviator turns his/her mobile communications device to "off" ere walking out to the machine and leaves it "off" until after walking well away from the machine after arrival. It is called common sense or stuff called airmanship if one wants to use fancy words. From engine/s start to transition, or to a safe level in lighties on the way up and down it is also prudent to maintain a sterile cockpit, one without idle chit chat or distractions because aviating can be a serious business and the method of stopping using the underbelly instead of wheels is passe on account of friction you understand.

MTF...P2