Aircraft get much too close for comfort
The pilot of a Jetstar 717 aircraft had to take evasive action to avoid a pleasure trip fighter jet in uncontrolled air space over New South Wales, according to an inquiry.
The Jetstar 717, with 100 passengers and 6 crew aboard had to adjust his take off from Newcastle for Melbourne on December 19 2005, when a collision warning system sounded inside the cockpit, seconds after the passenger plane left the ground.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau report released today says the two-seater Strikemaster 167 ground attack jet, converted to take people on aerobatic joyrides, was flying too close to the Jetstar aircraft and it appears that the Strikemaster pilot could not be contacted by radio.
The Strikemaster came within 1500 metres horizontally, and 76m vertically of the Jetstar 717 about 9km south of the airport, the Strikemaster’s pilot having apparently misperceived the 717’s destination in addition to radio problems that led to a reduction in the pilot’s situational awareness.
ATSB Deputy Director of Aviation Safety Julian Walsh said the Strikemaster came closer than would have been expected if its pilot had been aware of the passenger plane’s position and a near collision was prevented by the combined use of radar based traffic information and TCAS (the collision warning system onboard the Jetstar plane).
Mr Walsh said there was no local air traffic control at Williamtown Airport at the time and pilots were self-regulating separation.
At the time of the near miss, there was also a Cessna 150 doing training circuits at the airport, an inbound Boeing 737, and two other small planes in the area, with a 19 seater Fairchild Metro 23 passenger plane was also taxiing for a departure to Sydney.
Because the 717 was in the process of taking off, Brisbane air traffic control was in contact with the Jetstar crew and alerted them after noticing the Strikemaster.
Jetstar spokesman Simon Westaway said the crew followed procedure and altered the plane’s course, and the angle of their ascent to avoid the Strikemaster, with the crew was aware of the other aircraft at all times, able to keep the minimum horizontal space required with absolutely no risk to passengers.
Report by The Mole
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