That’s because non-towered aerodromes are a central component of the Australian airspace system, where these three factors play an essential role in keeping us safe.’ ‘The ones I want to emphasise are communication, situational awareness and threat and error management. ‘It doesn’t matter what you fly-human factors concepts are applicable across the board,’ he says. Human factorsĪfter more than 30 years in the aviation industry as both a pilot and safety advisor, Penney is still as passionate as ever about air safety and sharing that with the Australian aviation industry. The data found some pilots on a typical VFR flight had their head inside the cockpit more than 50 per cent of the time. ‘To slightly modify an adage for aviation, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but lack of words-or the wrong words-have the potential to kill me”.’ But what this does show us is that if we have a breakdown in communication or our ability to communicate over the radio is hindered, suddenly we’re flying with our situational awareness very compromised and the ramifications for safety can potentially be massive. ‘I’m certain many of us have been flying with the volume turned down unintentionally or the radio on the wrong frequency. ‘No one is immune to this type of situation,’ Penney says. When the Foxbat was safely back on the ground, a club instructor found the radio volume was at a very low setting. ‘The go-around by the Dash 8 was the first time the pilot of the Foxbat became aware of other aircraft in the circuit,’ the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) says in its report of the incident. The crew of the Dash 8 decided to modify their approach to join the circuit for runway 21-but were then forced to go around from short final as the pilot of the Foxbat turned onto final in front of the larger aircraft. The crew of the Dash 8 saw the Foxbat rolling and alerted the Baron pilot who initiated a go-around from short final. The Dash 8 was overflying the aerodrome to join circuit for runway 03 as the Foxbat was lining up on runway 21 and the Baron was on final approach to 03. Realising this, the crew of the Dash 8 asked for a repeat by both pilots but only the pilot of the Cessna responded. The pilot of the Cessna began a departure broadcast but was over-transmitted two seconds later by the pilot of the Foxbat, making both broadcasts incomprehensible. A Cessna 152 was taxiing for 03 but the Foxbat was taxiing to the other end, to conduct circuits off runway 21. A Beechcraft Baron on an IFR training exercise was inbound from the south-west, heading for the same threshold. The Dash 8 was inbound from the south, intending to land on runway 03. Port Macquarie is a non-towered common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) airport, where safety relies on the see-and-avoid principle. On the day, in May 2007, four aircraft were involved: two were approaching Port Macquarie Aerodrome and two were taking off. ‘This is a classic case where breakdowns in communication can have serious safety implications,’ he says.īut the overlooked volume control wasn’t the only factor is this incident. photo: Tim Penney | AvSafety advisorĬASA Aviation Safety Advisor Tim Penney says this dramatic case illustrates why communication and situational awareness are vital for safe flying. Adding to the seriousness of the incident, the near-miss took place near the built-up area of a regional city. This could easily have been Australia’s worst aviation disaster since the 1960s. We are all human, so ask yourself: ’would I have done better-or been bitten?’ When to speak upĪ Dash 8 almost collided with a Foxbat because the pilot of the smaller aircraft had the radio volume turned down. Situational awareness, distraction and landing fixation are the themes of three chilling anecdotes.
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