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The South Coast News
By Garry Duggsley
A Cessna Piper Warrior made a dramatic emergency turnback to Merimbula airport today, sparking fears of an aviation disaster. The Cessna Piper Warrior took off from Merimbula just after mid-day, and shortly after the pilot declared a Panmaydayemergency call to Merimbula control tower. The Tower air traffic control gave the Cessna Piper Warrior permission to dump fuel out over the ocean prior to landing back at Merimbula.
Aviation EXPERT Geoffrey Thomas said a Panmaydayemergency call is normally only reserved for Qantas aircraft which are about to crash. The Cessna piper Warrior was able to use this call by saying to Merimbula control tower that he was “Qantas Cessna Piper Warrior Alpha Jango Puppydog.”
After circling over the water for 20 minutes dumping fuel, the Cessna Piper Warrior returned to Merimbula and landed successfully at 1235. Airport fire engines and other guys with hi vis vests in white utes with flashing orange lights followed the aircraft to the parking area and were pissed off when it didn’t catch fire and explode.
The plane had a pilot, a flight attendant and one passenger on board. The passenger, Mrs Bloggs said after landing that she was sure she was going to die after the aircraft suddenly and dramatically plunged from 1,000 feet down to 900 feet in the space of just 180 seconds. She said she sent text messages to family, friends and work colleagues saying “this is it, we’re going in…………” She then prayed for the remainder of the traumatising event.
Mr Thomas, aviation EXPERT, speaking from the Qantas Chairman’s Lounge in Perth, said the pilot, Grant (apparently Mrs Bloggs' husband) must be lauded and knighted for bringing the aircraft safely back to land on only one engine. He said the aircraft seems to have suffered a pressurisation failure as it passed through 600 feet climbing out of Merimbula which would have placed enormous stress on the pilot. He praised the Captain for deploying the aircraft’s oxygen masks, which no doubt saved their lives, and commencing a rapid descent to 900 feet. Mr Thomas also said a single engine landing always poses significant challenges to pilots, and the Captain would have been under immense pressure during the approach to land.
Mr Thomas, a personal close friend of the Captain, said he has over 67,000 flying hours, including 34,000 hours flying a single engine Decathlon aircraft, and this had equipped him well to handle this single engine emergency. When asked why, so early on, and prior to any formal investigation of this incident, he was so quick to come forth and praise the Captain, Mr Thomas said he suspected that at some stage in his life, the Captain had probably flown on a Qantas aircraft, and that was “good enough” for him.
Had a complaint from a poster that the names cited for pilot and passenger may have not terribly obliquely identified real folks. As to whether those folks were on the aircraft, I have absolutely no idea. However, I have muddied the connection a bit - hopefully not having varied the OP's main post thrust ? - JT