Here's what Crikey reckons;
11. Dick Smith's latest defamatory dalliances
Once again Richard Harold (aka Dick) Smith flies perilously close to what can only be described as defamation. He accuses everyone from Qantas to the air traffic control for the tragic accident that claimed 6 lives near Benalla. Read the interim accident report here.
Only Mr Smith would claim to be able to determine the cause of a fatal air crash without looking at a single piece of evidence, visiting the crash site, conducting interviews, reviewing any records or any of the normal procedures of an air accident investigation.
Before the Australian Transportation Safety Bureau (ATSB) has even released its findings, Mr Smith is already claiming that there was a cover up by the ATSB on behalf of Qantas in relation to another incident that occurred a few days before the Benalla crash. The incident he refers to involved a Qantas Boeing 737 flying from Perth to Canberra where it descended too low prior to landing. Mr Smith would have us all believe that if the ATSB and Qantas had announced the incident to the public immediately, before any formal investigation had occurred and before any of the actual facts were known, then the Benalla crash could have been avoided.
The ATSB is set up as an independent entity for the express purpose of being objective in its investigations, a fact that frustrated Mr. Smith during the time of his appointment at the Civil Aviation Safety Authority. Any suggestion that the ATSB is complicit in a cover up involving Qantas is ludicrous.
Back to the Qantas incident. A Qantas Boeing 737 was on descent into Canberra after a night flight from Perth. It arrived in the Canberra area prior to first light to find that the air traffic control facility was closed. The pilots elected to continue with the approach as per the procedures normally conducted in this situation. They made what appears to be a data entry error and found themselves flying too far away from the navigation facility at Church Creek while descending.
The ATSB does not have access to Mr Smith’s telepathic powers. Instead, they have to rely on physical evidence such as flight data recorders, tapes of radar data, pilot testimonies and so on. So far the only facts that are publicly available are those in the interim reports available here.
It indicates the aircrafts distance from the terrain below was 2,500 feet and the crew received a low level ‘soft’ warning from the onboard aircraft system that prompted a climb. The pilots reported the incident to Qantas who in turn reported to ATSB.
Mr Smith has sought to stop changes to Australian airspace via the Federal Court. He claims that both the Qantas incident and Benalla accident could have been avoided if the Australian airspace structure was designed to his specifications. Mr Smith sees no foul in using the brother of one of the Benalla victims to shower himself with media coverage for his court case.
Mr Smiths warning to Perth passengers of the danger in flying QF to Canberra at night or in weather,
twice, on an ABC talkback, and wherein he suggested the aircraft was below the mountain tops and in
imminent danger were followed by a statement from CASAs Peter Gibson on the same programme the following day and was inter-alia;
" the aircraft never came closer than 2,000 feet to the ground and investigations continue."
The interview was a genuine, beautifully minted masterpiece of disinformation and self serving propaganda.
And the most irresponsible scaremongering action in aviation terms I have heard in a looooong time.
The talkback host and his part time host took it hook line and sinker and they swallowed the bait, I presume therefore so did their audience. Ex CASA boss twice 'n all.
If anyone wants a recording, PM me and I'll send you one.