Human error blamed for near miss
Two commercial airliners narrowly missing colliding over Brisbane Airport as one was taking off and the other attempted to land has been blamed on human error.
Traffic controllers had cleared the Avalon-bound Jetstar Boeing 717 for take-off from the main runway at the same time that a Macair Metro was approaching the converging strip at the airport’s northern end.
The Metro crew decided its approach was too steep and decided to go round.
This created a situation where the Boeing crossed about 625m in front of and 176m above the Metro.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau which investigated the August 2005 incident said it represented a breakdown of separation for which there were a number of reasons.
The Metro’s descent had been restricted by another aircraft which placed it above the normal landing profile and the crew continued an approach that was unlikely to succeed.
The aerodrome controller misjudged the position of the Metro and did not adequately consider the aircraft might go round for another approach.
An attempt to alert the Metro crew to the Boeing did not include the required safety alert information.
The bureau said the Metro crew was completing a 12-hour day, that included breaks, and wanted to “get the aircraft back” into Brisbane. As the Metro had flown to and back from Thargomindah with scheduled stops, crew fatigue may have contributed.
And the co-pilot, who was at the the controls, had not done many steep approaches at night, which the crew described as “pitch black”, and had only flown into Brisbane 10 times previously.
Report by The Mole
John Alwyn-Jones
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Global tourism exceeds 1.5 billion travelers announces UN-Tourism
Qatar Airways offers reduced timetable to over 60 destinations
WTTC global tourism reached record economic impact of 11 trillion in 2025
Hands In, UATP join forces for airline multi-card payments
Overseas travelers to the United States declined by 2.5% in 2025