Jet dumps fuel above Cape Town airport

[Teignmouth]

From SAPA:

Air traffic at Cape Town International Airport was delayed on Tuesday afternoon after an ex-military fighter jet jettisoned about 3 000 litres of fuel after an engine failure shortly after take-off.

The plane, a British Bae-Buccaneer, belongs to Thundercity, a privately owned collection of operational ex-military jets housed adjacent to the airport complex.

According to Thundercity director Andrew Barends, the drama unfolded around 3pm when one of the two-seater aircraft's two Rolls Royce engines failed.

"The pilot requested to go up to 10 000 (3km) feet from where he dumped the fuel - which was vaporised because of the altitude," said Barends.

Air traffic control cleared the pilot and his navigator for landing after the fuel was dumped and the pilot managed to "re-light" the stalled engine.

Barends said the aircraft, which was being flown by its regular pilot, managed to carry out a "normal and safe" landing, whereupon some of the fuel in the plane's venting pipes spilled onto the runway.

He said the company obviously wanted to find out why the engine shut down, and would conduct the necessary procedural maintenance tests, including an engine test on the ground, before allowing the Buccaneer to fly again.

The company would also submit an incident report to the Civil Aviation Authority.

According to Barends, the company had an "impeccable" safety record with more than 1 500 incident-free sorties.

Airport spokesperson Deidre Hendricks confirmed that runway 0119 was closed for about an hour after the fuel spill.

"This had an impact on the flight arrivals and departures, with two departure flights to Johannesburg delayed and one arrival from Johannesburg delayed," she said.

[Goldfish Jack]

Interesting safety record..........

I Canberrra down
I hunter that lost a canopy
I Bucc that went for a walk in the grass at George
I Hunter nearly hitting a helicopter over Camps Bay the other day .....................................

and I cant remember how many standbys I have seen at the airport.

Oh well bulls%$t baffles brains



I wonder if he has learnt his lesson or will still battle it out flat out below the TMA in the SRA with no respect to anyone else.....

[ANVAK]

Good spin from the airport's spokesperson! A couple of us were holding and considering alternates with both 19 and 16 closed - fuel on 19 and "stones" from a 747 departure off 16 contaminating both runways. Forunately they cleared 19 - back to ops nml.

[Goldfish Jack]

Quote:

"back to ops normal" at ASCA ????

mmmm interesting expression but I know what you mean I think .....

[farmpilot]

Goldfish Jack

I get the feeling you really don't want GA in or around FACT from this and several other posts you've made.

I do fly GA from FACT and it's amazing that we still all can (in the UK you can forget going near any large airfield). I used to fly from a large RAF base in the UK and we all seemed to get on OK - now I know that it really doesn't compare to what you guys handle, but it would be a shame to go the way of the UK.

Cape Town has some fantastic opportunitys for avaition, from the Huey (love it or hate it) to Thunder City to flipping around the coast to general charter.

Can we realy not get along?

And finally I just want to say that all the service you guys have given me for the last six years while I've been flying down here has been excellent. I just hope in the future we'll still be able to use the airfield.

Farmpilot :(

[BAKELA]

I Canberrra down
I hunter that lost a canopy
I Bucc that went for a walk in the grass at George
I Hunter nearly hitting a helicopter over Camps Bay the other day .....................................GJ, with all due respect, it beats the SAAF Museum safety record I think.

Provost - Cat 5.
Spitfire - Cat 5.
Shackleton - Cat 5.
Sikorsky 55 - Cat 5.
Mustang - Cat 2/3(?)

Dean, you are sure to have the hot gen on this one?

Cannot resist,I Hunter nearly hitting a helicopter over Camps Bay the other day .....................................Hope it wasn't the Huey or Elvis? :}

I agree with Farmpilot that you guys do a great job but maybe you can also inform us of the emergencies declared and problems being had by Comair, SAA, Court (whatever they are called now), SAX, Nationwide, 1-Time, Airlink etc just in order to level the playing field here, and to ensure the transparent reflection of happenings at CT ATC? Johies is fare from CT. :{

[Goldfish Jack]

Bakela

NO it was not one of them, but the poor chopper pilot was so shaken up when he came to visit us that he was quite literally shaking.............

Just trying to think when one of them last had an emergency......

I think SAX came back about a month ago with a fire-warning. Was not there so can't remember it........

Oh and someone went around the other day because the cabin was not sterile, but that is about the fun we have.

The real fun is when some people want to fly and take the law into their own hands. I might be a law-abiding citizen, but it burns me you know what when people blatantly want to ops outside of the law and expect us to accomodate them. They might get away with it when there is a junior controllor on duty, and that is only because the junior has not been in that situation before, but the old and bold ATCs don't allow for it and then they want to argue with you that they did it the other day....... Have a look at tmatourguide's posting the other day to get the drift. And one of my values/morales in life is that I will never assist anyone to do anything that is outside of the law or can be taken to be against the law, no matter what it involves, aviation, business or other activity

I am all for GA, but then it must be done in accordance with the law, not that that means much in this country of ours.......

[orgasmotron]

Surely you can not compare airline incidents with those in GA. rather compare incidents per rotation. You will see that the airlines do come in tops with regard. We all enjoy GA and participate whenever we can, but with much the same attitude as towards our airline jobs.

Just as a matter of interest, not so long ago, whilst in the circuit at Lanseria, enjoying my bit of GA, overheard a pilot in a Seneca, waiting at the holding point of 06L, complaining to ATC because he had to wait for a 727 to land. His comments to ATC expressed his utter disgust of the fact that these big aircraft are allowed to land at a GA airport and waste his precious avgas and destroy his runways.

I have not often heard airlines guys whinge to ATC about some C150 delaying them because the student elected to fly a 5nm circuit at 70 kts. I think a lot of the GA guys should rather adjust their attitudes towards aviation and the whole airspace might just become a safer place for all. There are a sure place for GA at all airports. We enjoy seeing the C208's & GA aeries depart JNB on a regular basis.

To the ATC's; keep the GA oaks going, as long as they are playing the game properly, we cannot let a few guys with bad attitudes ruin GA for everybody.

[Deanw]

Provost - Cat 5.
Spitfire - Cat 5.
Shackleton - Cat 5.
Sikorsky 55 - Cat 5.
Mustang - Cat 2/3(?)


To which we can add a Harvard T-6G - Cat 5 (on 22/09/02) ...

[GULF69]

HI GJ

Check your PM's!

69

[ANVAK]

I must just add a lovely chirp overheard many years ago at FALA when a GA pilot was holding for 06L and bemoaning the fact that he had to wait for four SAAF Impalas to taxi past and take off - his chirp was "I pay for my fuel" to which the 4 Sqn leader replied laconically " yes, and you pay for ours to..." Those were the days!:D