Navajo Forced Landing on the Tanami Highway

[scud_runner]

Any idea who this was and what happened??? Engine Fire??


Media Release
Wednesday 4 August 2004
Emergency landing
A Piper Navaho aircraft carrying ten people made a forced landing on the Tanami Highway yesterday afternoon after experiencing engine problems.

Police at Yuendumu were alerted about 2pm that the plane was coming in to land at Yuendumu airstrip. Police and emergency crews went out to the airstrip to await the plane which was travelling from Halls Creek in Western Australia.

However, a further call came in just after 2.30 that the pilot had been forced to put the plane down on the Tanami Highway about 37 kilometres west of Yuendumu..

The pilot and his nine passengers were uninjured in the incident. The passengers were taken to Yuendumu and then flown on to Alice Springs in a second aircraft later in the day. Police attended the scene and directed traffic around the plane which was partially blocking the highway.

Engineers arrived at the scene this afternoon and repaired the engine. The plane was then towed two klilometres up the Tanami Highway to a suitable area for take-off. The plane then flew to Yuendumu and on to Alice Springs

[Capt Claret]

From the press release it seems too quick a time frame to have been an engine fire.

[Pack2]

Wont all the arm chair experts with their 2 bob opinions have a field day with this one.

Well done to the pilot is all I have to say. You obviously made a good decision and put the aircraft down on a suitable surface while you had the option. Even if it was precautionary you did the right thing.

Well Done.

[the wizard of auz]

Pack2,
Well done to the pilot is all I have to say. You obviously made a good decision and put the aircraft down on a suitable surface while you had the option. Even if it was precautionary you did the right thing.
well, thats your 2 bobs worth then. does that make you an armchair expert?

[curfew2]

It was a 10 place Chieftain not an 8 place Navajo(chieftain)

(I love my armchair...)

[itchybum]

I thought it was:

8-seat Navajo or
10-seat Navajo-Chieftain???

Maybe he forgot to switch to mains in time.. like I did so many times. :ok:

Whatever it was, well-done for a successful forced-landing. :cool: Hope you didn't suffer in Yuendumu too long. :sad:

[xplane10]

Bush Mechanics to the rescue?

Surely Randall and Simeion from the ABC Bush Mechanics will have it going again. Using the washer reservoir as a fuel pump!!

[Transition Layer]

xplane10,

Haha, nice one! Maybe they were the ones who gave them a tow into Yuendumu! What a nice part of the world! :yuk:

As for what company, well initially I thought a Navajo from Halls Creek narrows it down a little, although if it is in fact a Chieftain then it could be anyone? Perhaps an operator from Alice?

Thumbs up to the pilot, he made a gutsy call and everyone walked away unharmed. The fact that the aircraft could be flown out the next day is an obvious indicator that it was a job well done. :ok:

TL

[tinpis]

Good luck to the pilot. Maybe he had something scary like a turbo attachment band let go,... that get yer attention.
Have had to dash for home a few times in Chieftan, they didnt present any problems on one fan with a big load.
The manual states that the fuel shut off lever lifts a inch or two out of the floor.
I managed to lift it a good two feet after an engine fire !!:ooh:

[gaunty]

Well done, elephant stamp for that man, it's waaay better to be on the ground wishing you were in the air, than in the air wishing you were on the ground.".

The Bush Mechanics were great lateral thinkers hey!, me, I'd a died of thirst waiting for someone to come. :D :ok: who needs a jack or pit, just roll him in his side mate. :)

[Capt. J]

The plane didn't hit any cars when it was landing? :suspect:

[Capt Claret]

You'd be bluddy stiff to hit a car on the Tanami. Not near a busy as Bourke or Pitt Streets. :}

[Capt. J]

Police attended the scene and directed traffic around the plane which was partially blocking the highway

I had an impression that it would've been as busy as the M5 in NSW from reading that bit :rolleyes:

[Capt Claret]

I haven't driven the Tanami for a few years but once took two days to drive Halls Creek to Alice, and was lucky to see a dozen other vehicles over the two days.

[Capt. J]

Sounds like you've quite a lot of experience in everything! You must've had lots of adventures :) Well, I better stop posting before it gets out of topic :\

Cheers for the replies.

[gaunty]

Capt. J

if you ever get a chance to have a noggin or two with Clarrie I promise you wont be dissapointed.

Oi Clarrie when are you going to be allowed out to play:p

[Capt. J]

Sweet. Who is Clarrie and where is he/she?

PS. Sorry Woomera, this is getting off-topic. gaunty PM me :D

[Sheep Guts]

Ive flown it in a C210 a couple of times ( Halls Creek - Alice). No problems about seeing where to land and if there traffic. You can see te dust plumes from the Road Trains for litterally hundres of miles...

Sheep

[bushy]

The Centralian Advocate report states that the aircraft landed on the highway after two attempts were discontinued due to traffic on the road.

[Sheep Guts]

Well Bushy if thats the case it must be getting busier. Or some Journos in Alice are inventing the truth.

Sheep

[prospector]

Two missed approaches on one engine?, 10 POB, must have been exciting for the punters.

Prospector

[grrowler]

2 missed approaches to land on a road and only 20 miles from Yuendemu airstrip :confused:

[tinpis]

Did one of the mu pax open their lunch box? Thus causing partial pilot incapacitation?


:}

[Pinky the pilot]

I'm surprised that one of the tabloid style 'infotainment' current affairs shows has'nt started up about another "mid air drama". Thank God that they have'nt!!

You only live twice. Once when
you're born. Once when
you've looked death in the face.

[bush mechanics]

Eh i bin told dat plane he bin from dat east coast!!!dat mob airtex ply him

[Transition Layer]

Dat Bush Mechanics bloke a smart one eh, coz I erd da same thing! So it must be troo eh!

Dat Airtex mob a long way from home eh, out there with da Djaru peoples!

[Northern Chique]

Sheesh,

Two perfectly good strips, one with lighting and both with quite reasonable accomodation and food! and they missed us! Just a slight left turn off his track.... but well done all the same. On a serious front we also have very good Emergency response units, medical assistance and equipment, and fire trucks.

The traffic passing by our front gates has been very high due to the "sporting carnivals" held by various communities each week end in addition to the usual winter tourist population putting up with the tanami trek. The section of road was a bit further south east of us but not too bad...

Speaking of tourists, gotta go have a chat to a car full......

[bellsux]

Stop listening to all the wrong rumours and get the real facts by clicking on this link...

http://www.bushmechanics.com/pages/stories/body_aero.htm

[newbe20]

maybe feathering would have helped....maybe

nb20

[Sunfish]

The Tanami Highway??? The last time I drove it, it was marked as the Tanami track. Interesting to hear there is traffic on it, probably going to the gold mines in the Granites or to Rabbit flat.

Northwest of the granites you should be able to fire a cannon down the highway all day and not hit anything.

I wonder what the corrugations in the track did to the undercarriage?

[Transition Layer]

Sunfish,

My thoughts exactly re: corrugations. Only drove along the track a few times, and the sore ar5e you get after only an hr or so is ridiculous!

TL

[grrowler]

Sure, sure TL, you had a sore ar5e because of the corrugations I thought it was that nasty cp you had ;) :p How you goin dude?

Eh ah buy dis bin plash motorplanecar! True gahd, eh! Real cheap too, eh cos only onea dem motors go! But dat make it cheap on fool see! Ah bin get it to dribe mah cuzin bruthas to de alice eh! tink ahm gonna paint it red.... :}

[Northern Chique]

We graded our bit....

the traffic is a mix of mostly tourists and locals with most of the road trains servicing the mines.

Rabbit Flat Roadhouse (claim to fame - Australias most remote roadhouse) is closed Tues to Thurs (bummer the only days Im on that road!) and the corregations are nasty all the way... some better than others. Within two weeks of the road being graded, it was as bad as ever. I wish they NT / fed government would get over its red tape, and let the mines do what theyd have liked and do the road themselves.

For those a bit worried about loosing their way along this fine peice of engineered roadway.... you'll be right! Just follow the trail of red and green cans! They go all the way to Halls Creek..... :}

[OpsNormal]

Hehehe, old Bruce at RBT. He's a classic, and a good sport also. :}

A while ago I was ICUSing one of the new hires on that mail run. After we landed at RBT, we were rolling the fuel drum over to the a/c in preparation for fuelling, I made casual conversation about whether or not we had been 'shot down' on that last landing.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention to you that Bruce takes his security very seriously. We are forever patching up holes in the tails of our aircraft".

The newbie looked at me dumbfounded.

"Whadderya mean"?

"Ah, you'll see".

About then Bruce lobbed in that decrepid old Landcruiser ute. I motioned to said newbie to deposit the mailsack and newspaper on the pax side front seat of the 'Cruiser, and to mind the rifle.....

Newbie appeared shortly thereafter with eyes as wide as saucers....... :ooh:

For the pure entertainment value I'd struck up a conversation with Bruce (he was in on it by then) while refuelling as to how the (upcoming at the time) courtcase at YND was progressing..... Poor old newbie didn't know what to think or say, and Bruce and I were almost pi$$ing ourselves laughing.... :} :}

On the backtrack to get out of there I mentioned that if he valued his hide, he should never mention the surname "Leyland" around Bruce.... :E

You back around the 'Creek these days chique?