Pilot fatigued during mid-air stall scare
By Myles Morgan
Posted 1 hour 30 minutes ago
A Qantas jet had about 70 people on board when the incident happened. [File image]. (Reuters: Tim Wimborne, file photo)
A report by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau has found the pilot of a Qantas Boeing 717-200 was stressed and fatigued when the plane came close to stalling as it prepared to land in Alice Springs in 2008.
The ATSB says the jet had about 70 people on board when it approached the airport "higher, faster and closer" than was suitable for the landing.
A "stick-shaker" warning alerted the flight crew that the aircraft was close to aerodynamically stalling.
The jet landed without incident after the flight crew corrected the approach.
The ATSB report notes the pilot was stressed at the time of the incident.
"The [pilot] recalled that, during the incident flight, he had been thinking about those stresses and believed that this might have contributed to the event by distracting him prior to descent."
The report says the pilot had also been struggling to get enough sleep in the days prior to the incident.
"The [pilot] reported staying at temporary accommodation and sleeping on average for only four hours a night.
"The [pilot] considered that fatigue was a factor during the approach into Alice Springs, in that it affected [their] clarity of judgement and concentration."