PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - 26 Years ago today. DC-3 ditches in Botany Bay
Old 25th Apr 2020, 07:48
  #1 (permalink)  
Centaurus
 
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Australia
Posts: 4,188
Likes: 0
Received 14 Likes on 5 Posts
26 Years ago today. DC-3 ditches in Botany Bay

Just read "From Hero to Zero" the story of the successful ditching of VH-EDL a DC-3, into Botany Bay, Sydney.
Brief summary: No 1 engine failed at 200 feet after takeoff from Sydney Runway 16. For various factors identified in the report, the single engine climb performance of the DC-3 was practically negative.

The first officer was PF for the takeoff. The captain took over control after feathering the defective engine propeller. When it was obvious the DC-3 was unable to climb in its current configuration the captain made the decision to ditch. The time from engine failure to ditching was 46 seconds. All passengers and crew survived the ditching.

By coincidence the date of the accident 24 April 1994 was just 26 years ago almost to the day. . The story was first published in 2019 by the author Rod Lovell, the captain of the DC-3.
The book is well worth reading by all pilots; especially those who have flown a DC-3. . Like most dramatic events there are usually two sides to the story. . Hero to Zero is the captain's side of this fascinating tale. For that reason I found it better to read the BASIS report first to facilitate better context. https://www.atsb.gov.au/media/24341/...401043_001.pdf

The BASIS report published all those years ago takes a fair size swipe at the then Regulator as well as the operator.

Centaurus is offline