Originally Posted by
Lead Balloon
So walk me through the thought processes and the timing of the processes through which you'd obtain and consider, for example, the NOTAMs for the destinations you hadn't planned to use, while flying a damaged aircraft of unverified endurance that was short on endurance during taxi before take-off. Or do you subscribe to the 'as soon as I declare a MAYDAY the closest available length of sufficiently long piece of tarmac will be safer than any other option' theory?
Avalon is class D with a tower and services large jets, so no doubt has suitable facilities. You don’t need to worry about NOTAM’s when ATC are involved. Frequency 135.7 would have meant no frequency changes to get them landed at Avalon. Avalon is probably around 5-7nm closer than Essendon too. Avalon would have far less traffic too or which likely all would be on an approach or departure versus circuits, so easy to clear out.
Moorabbin is probably another 5? miles closer, however it’s too short to add a safety margin, there’s too much traffic and it’s densely populated.
Those flying around the Melbourne basin would instinctively know these facts and I’d hazard a guess that they had some mention of this in their ops manuals, especially after what happened with the L39 operating out of Bankstown.
When Sully had his bird strike, ATC offered him multiple alternate runways to assist with his thought processes. I didn’t hear any alternates being offered in this instance.