Forced to Land (NT News)

[Mr Maverick]

From The NT News, P6, 1Dec04

By Nigel Adam

A Territory airline is being investigated after another of its planes was forced to make an emergency landing.

The Air Ngukurr Bandeirante was carrying 18 passengers and two crew when one of its two engines failed.

An industry source said one of the fuel tanks ran dry.

But company chief executive Noel Bleakley, who was piloting said: ”Plenty of fuel was ordered and the refueller claims he put the fuel in. (my bolding)

“The rumour network in this place is unbelievable.”

The plane landed safely at Darwin airport after returning from a tourist charter flight to Bathurst Island on Monday evening. It was Air Ngukurr’s second emergency in four months.

Former senior pilot Hone Edwards crash-landed a $500,000 Navajo Chieftan on mudflats at Nightcliff in Darwin in August.

Mr Edwards was uninjured.

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) said it was “keeping a close eye” on the airline.

But Mr Bleakley, who took over as head of Air Ngukurr 12 months ago, said the company had made big improvements.

“We have an excellent relationship with CASA and are fully co-operating with this investigation,” he said.

Alan Stray of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau of investigation said the Bandeirante was being checked by engineers.

I hope the article misquotes Mr Bleakley, or has left some of the quote out. If the whole explanation for sufficient fuel is “the refueller claims he put it in”, then the mind boggles!

[maxgrad]

This article is from the NT NEWS right?
The paper, as it has proved so many times, can take the most simplest of stories and turn it inside out. I'm surprised they didn't have a crocodile chewing on the tailplane of the chieftain.

[Dog One]

Understand that the aircraft was towed back to its terminal after landing - probably to save engine hours?

[flyingmouse]

Dog one,

Have you ever tried to taxi a 5700 kg twin on one engine mate ? i reckon it's pretty hard.

[williamsf1]

Forgive me for taking the bait, if that's what was intended, but taxi-ing a mid sized turbo prop on 1 donk is the norm....

metro's etc do it all the time.... or are you just guessing? having tried it in a lighty ( baron etc) and then in a metro I would say its the lighty that is near on impossible to taxi, and the metro is hardly any different to both noise machines going....

just a thought....

[OpsNormal]

Maxgrad wrote:

This article is from the NT NEWS right?
The paper, as it has proved so many times, can take the most simplest of stories and turn it inside out. I'm surprised they didn't have a crocodile chewing on the tailplane of the chieftain.

Fair go max, the average attention span of many who write for the NT News is probably slightly less than the length of that article. In any case the croc was in fact present, but the writer was unable in this instance to be able to assimilate the beast into the story. :}

Be rest assured max that in the time you've not been in the position.... enviable position, I might add.... to have the opportunity to reach back and take your pick of one of a few thousand copies of the absolute freshly minted latest edition of the NT News, the stories have not gotten much better.... The paper is usually thrown back in the back by Derak, autopilot on and..... :zzz:

Hehehehehe, just kidding.... :}

Regards,

OpsN. ;)

[Chimbu chuckles]

Flying mouse I have over 1000hrs LHS Banderante and I assure you taxiing them around on one engine was a daily occurence.

[maxgrad]

ops norm
piont taken mate, actually I believe the croc was pilot monitoring that sector, go figure :E
Used to enjoy reading the front page to DN deps at 0100 and then sit for 5 hours wondering why I read the best bit first.

[apache]

...a $500,000 Navajo Chieftan...

Must have been a REALLY nice Chieftain!!!!

[slice]

Williamsf1 - 402/404 aircraft can be taxied empty (ie light) on one donk so long as you start with a turn in the direction of the assy yaw to give you some momentum.

[The Flash]

The article also failed to note that the second engine flamed out shortly before touchdown and the aircraft ran off the end of the runway (no reverse). It was towed back to the apron as there was no fuel left in the fuel tanks.

[tinpis]

:(

Bet the passengers turned white.

[NAMPS]

Perhaps it's some new noise abatement procedure...just got my Jepp amendments, might have to check :}

[Cornholeeo]

402/404 aircraft can be taxied empty...on one donk so long as you start with a turn ...to give you some momentum. I have successfully taken off a 402 on one engine using the same technique.

"I don't recommend it, mind you, but it can be done..."

:eek:

:hmm:

:zzz:

[The Voice]

ah Tinpis

Bet the passengers turned white.

you've done it again!! :E

[Dog One]

Dear Flyingmouse

Yes I have taxied Bandit's, Metro's, Saab's, Westwinds, and most light twins under 5700 kgs quite successfully on one engine. The only one that I had trouble with was the venerable DC3! All of the above of course had sufficient fuel for the remaining engine to run!

[Pack2]

Flyingmouse

The Bandit has nose wheel stearing via a tiller on the captains side. This makes taxing on one engine very easy.

[Ang737]

There were rumours that Air Ngukurr were looking at getting their RPT approval. I bet this latest fuel starv incident will put that to bed. Drivers beware it seems a matter of time until someone isn't so lucky.

Ang ;)

[tinpis]

A landing on Bagot road before Xmas..whats the odds?:p

[Mr Maverick]

More from the NT News :yuk:

Plane ran out of fuel
By PAUL DYER
06jan05

A Territory plane forced into an emergency landing with 20 people on board ran out of fuel midair, an investigation has found.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) found one of the plane's engines failed in the air and the second failed on landing.
And the Air Ngukurr pilot failed to check the fuel tanks at Bathurst Island before taking off for Darwin.

"The investigation found that the pilot in command omitted vital fuel quantity checks prior to departure," the ATSB report said.

The incident happened on a charter flight about 5pm on November 29 last year.

About 11km short of Darwin airport, pilot Noel Bleakley noticed both fuel pump warning lights in the twin engine Bandeirante had started to flash.

He then realised both fuel gauges were on empty.

The right engine shut down and Mr Bleakley was forced to make an emergency landing on another runway.

During the landing the left engine also failed.

At the time of the incident Mr Bleakley said the refueller had claimed to have refilled the plane. But the investigation found Mr Bleakley had taken off before the refueller arrived at the airstrip.

The ATSB said Mr Bleakley, who is also the airline's chief executive, had been distracted by his "senior management responsibilities".

"The pilot ... had been heavily distracted by those duties," the report said.

"The pilot subsequently did not check the fuel quantity prior to departing ... and assumed that it had been refuelled."

Mr Bleakley was unable to be contacted yesterday.

But the airline's safety manager, Peter Hugo, said Mr Bleakley would be restricted to flights with two pilots on board.

"Noel has been limited in flying operations," he said.

"It basically means someone will be able to keep an eye on him."

Other changes implemented as a result of the incident include using two pilots on all flights

in Bandeirante aircraft, and improving fuel checking procedures and communications with the refuellers.

"We tackle any incidents head on," Mr Hugo said.

No one was injured in the incident.

The ATSB classified the occurrence as a "serious incident" because there were two crew and 18 passengers on board at the time.

[Howard Hughes]

First:
But the airline's safety manager, Peter Hugo, said Mr Bleakley would be restricted to flights with two pilots on board.

Then:
The ATSB classified the occurrence as a "serious incident" because there were two crew and 18 passengers on board at the time.

Sounds like there were already two pilots on board to me? Or do they have flight attendants on flights to Bathurst Island these days?

:hmm:

Cheers, HH.

:ok: