Air NZ Qantas near miss investigated
TVNZ
May 22, 2004
Indonesian authorities are investigating how an air traffic control slip-up almost caused a mid-air collision between Qantas and Air New Zealand planes off the coast of Irian Jaya.
The Weekend Australian on Saturday reported details of the close call in Indonesian controlled airspace south-west of the island of Biak on March 22.
It said the two Boeing 767-300s, carrying a total of 268 passengers, were forced to take evasive action after onboard computers alerted pilots to the danger.
At one point, the planes were believed to be separated vertically by less than 125 metres, and horizontally by 800 metres.
The report said planes should be separated vertically by 305 metres and horizontally by five nautical miles.
A veteran Qantas pilot told the paper that a first officer on the Qantas plane caught a glimpse of the Air New Zealand jet as it flew overhead.
Air Transport Safety Bureau deputy director of air safety investigation Alan Stray said he was alerted by Qantas to the near-miss "within hours" of it occurring.
"It was reported to us and it's currently under investigation by the Indonesian authorities and we and the New Zealanders are each cooperating with the Indonesian authorities," Stray told AAP.
"It happened in their airspace and they have the sovereign right to investigate it under international protocols so we are cooperating with them on that."
No date had yet been set for a report from Indonesia's National Transportation Safety Committee, but Stray said once it was released to the bureau it would be made public.
"These things do happen from time to time but until you know the circumstances of what happened it's hard to know how serious these things were," he said.
Stray said he was not sure if passengers aboard the planes were told of the near-miss.
A Qantas spokesman told the newspaper that the plane's crew had responded in accordance with their training and the flight continued without further incident.
Further comment was being sought from Qantas.