Merged: Aero Tropics Grounded.
Aero Tropics grounded
Casa suspended operations of the Cairns based airline on 3. 10. 2008. It is believed there were, and are, serious and imminent risks to the safety of passengers travelling on the airline.
Details available on CASA's website.
Details available on CASA's website.
Which brings the number of fixed wing operators on HID to two, Barrier and Cape Air, (if you take into account Regional are wrapping up on the tenth of this month). And who knows what is on the cards for CAT with Scotty 'incommunicado'....busy time ahead for BAS. Bad time for Tropo's crew again. 
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Aero Tropics closed down?!?!
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority suspended the operations of Cairns-based airline Lip Air Pty Ltd on Friday 3 October 2008.
More information is available on the CASA website: Media release - CASA suspends Far North Queensland airline
Anyone with a little more specific info than the indepth analysis provided by the media department of CASA??? How serious, and how likely are they to get it re issued... on going or otherwise?
More information is available on the CASA website: Media release - CASA suspends Far North Queensland airline
Anyone with a little more specific info than the indepth analysis provided by the media department of CASA??? How serious, and how likely are they to get it re issued... on going or otherwise?
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Heard North Queensland industry rumour that an Islander ran out of fuel at start of take off run. Both engines failed. Fuel then had to be flown in and aircraft topped up. Passengers jacked up and CASA contacted. If true no wonder CASA moved fast. May have been another operator but certainly a coincidence,.
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From the ABC
Airline put lives at risk, says CASA
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has warned it may cancel the Cairns-based airline Aero-Tropics' operating certificate to prevent the company flying again.
Yesterday Lip-Air, which trades as Aero-Tropics, was suspended from flying due to two serious safety breaches on one flight last week.
CASA spokeswoman Michelle Harris says she cannot reveal what happened as the matter is under investigation, but passengers' lives were put in danger.
"One incident occurred on take-off and one occurred in flight," she said.
She says CASA grounded the airline in June because of safety concerns but it appealed against the decision to the Federal Court.
"Aero-Tropics were allowed to continue operating under strict conditions imposed by both the Federal Court and CASA," she said.
"Obviously we've been monitoring Aero-Tropics' adherence to those conditions, however the recent incidents give us some concern that standards aren't improving and are in fact deteriorating."
In a recorded message, Aero-Tropics has notified its customers of the grounding.
"CASA has again suspended all Aero-Tropics air services and flights effective immediately," it said.
"The company is currently considering all its options regarding the suspension and we should be in a position to know more on Monday October 6. We really sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused by this suspension, thankyou."
Airline put lives at risk, says CASA
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has warned it may cancel the Cairns-based airline Aero-Tropics' operating certificate to prevent the company flying again.
Yesterday Lip-Air, which trades as Aero-Tropics, was suspended from flying due to two serious safety breaches on one flight last week.
CASA spokeswoman Michelle Harris says she cannot reveal what happened as the matter is under investigation, but passengers' lives were put in danger.
"One incident occurred on take-off and one occurred in flight," she said.
She says CASA grounded the airline in June because of safety concerns but it appealed against the decision to the Federal Court.
"Aero-Tropics were allowed to continue operating under strict conditions imposed by both the Federal Court and CASA," she said.
"Obviously we've been monitoring Aero-Tropics' adherence to those conditions, however the recent incidents give us some concern that standards aren't improving and are in fact deteriorating."
In a recorded message, Aero-Tropics has notified its customers of the grounding.
"CASA has again suspended all Aero-Tropics air services and flights effective immediately," it said.
"The company is currently considering all its options regarding the suspension and we should be in a position to know more on Monday October 6. We really sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused by this suspension, thankyou."
A37575, thats pretty much it in a nut shell from what i hear, at YWBS. Kinda lucky in one respect, just a few more litres and they'd have all been swimming.
Same aircraft had a problem either later that day or the next in the air, possibly an engine problem/failure?
Same aircraft had a problem either later that day or the next in the air, possibly an engine problem/failure?
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Running out of fuel on takeoff!!!!
Heard North Queensland industry rumour that an Islander ran out of fuel at start of take off run. Both engines failed. Fuel then had to be flown in and aircraft topped up. Passengers jacked up and CASA contacted. If true no wonder CASA moved fast. May have been another operator but certainly a coincidence,.
I just find it hard to believe that a commercial operation in this day & age doesn't have the necessary SOP's in place to prevent this from happening
Are you sure that there was no extenuating circumstances like a fuel leak etc?
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Having read the A/T ops manual a few years ago, they did have appropriate proceedures inplace to manage fuel onboard, furthermore CASA would not give them an AOC in the first place without said proceedures.
The question is: did the PIC stuff up, was something U/S in the aircraft and the PIC did not cross check the FOB using the Ops Manual specifications ?.
If the PIC stuffed up, hardly a systemic issue, unless of course Rick told the PIC to run out of fuel, and we all know that is very very highly unlikely.
The ATSB will reveal all.
The question is: did the PIC stuff up, was something U/S in the aircraft and the PIC did not cross check the FOB using the Ops Manual specifications ?.
If the PIC stuffed up, hardly a systemic issue, unless of course Rick told the PIC to run out of fuel, and we all know that is very very highly unlikely.
The ATSB will reveal all.
I'd have thought that there must something mechanical (or an undetected leak)for an aircraft to run out of fuel on take off at an island which is a good 15 minutes from home. As Left Handed Rock Thrower said there is (or at least was) a procedure to check fuel before last leg of every flight as per the Ops manual.
The ATSB report will be interesting reading and probably a lesson to us all!
The ATSB report will be interesting reading and probably a lesson to us all!
The Bongo fuel system ain't too complicated...on/off/x-feed, some have tip tanks, but still...it would have had to have been a pretty big (and you'd think), obvious fuel leak/s, and a very unlucky coincidence for a mechanical failure to starve both engines of fuel.
If it was a PIC stuff up...could this be construed as a C+T issue? That was CASA's original beef i believe...
OK, fresh info...'Pilot error', acknowledged by Rick L...oops!
If it was a PIC stuff up...could this be construed as a C+T issue? That was CASA's original beef i believe...
OK, fresh info...'Pilot error', acknowledged by Rick L...oops!
Last edited by Unusual-Attitude; 6th Oct 2008 at 02:48.
