Baillieu drama at 6,000 feet
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Baillieu drama at 6,000 feet
Baillieu drama at 6,000 feet
The Age, Paul Austin
July 13, 2007
OPPOSITION Leader Ted Baillieu and two other senior Victorian Liberals have been involved in a frightening mid-air drama during a flight from Melbourne to inspect flood-ravaged East Gippsland.
The door on their light plane flew open at about 6000 feet as gusty winds buffeted the aircraft in foggy conditions.
One of the two pilots raced down the aisle and battled to close the door, which was banging on the fuselage of the 10-seater Piper Chieftain.
Mr Baillieu, who was sitting closest to the door, held onto pilot Scott Talman as he leaned out of the plane and tried to pull it closed.
Realising the wind was too strong, Mr Talman warned the passengers to tighten their seatbelts, rushed back to his seat and sent out a distress call so the twin-engine plane could make an emergency landing at Traralgon.
The three passengers — Mr Baillieu, his chief of staff Michael Kapel and Opposition emergency services spokesman Andrew McIntosh — and Mr Talman and co-pilot Connie Dunn endured freezing temperatures and high winds in the cabin during a 10-minute descent to Latrobe regional airport, with the door still open.
"Probably the biggest danger was that one of us could have been sucked out," Mr McIntosh said yesterday.
"It's not like a big jet that is pressurised — you are not flying at that level — but the speed and the wind could have easily dragged us out."
He said the most anxious moments were when the pilot was "fighting with the door".
"It was pretty brave of the pilot to do what he did," Mr McIntosh said.
"After we'd got back onto the ground, he said he'd never seen anything like that in all his years of flying."
Mr Baillieu said: "I've spent a fair bit of time in small planes over the years and been in some interesting situations before, but not quite as interesting as that one."
Asked how his wife and children had reacted when he told them what had happened, Mr Baillieu said: "They were happy that I was telling them about it rather than someone else."
He paid tribute to the "thorough professionalism" of the pilots, who were able to secure the door while the plane was on the runway at Traralgon before flying on to their destination, Bairnsdale.
Charter company DirectAir decommissioned the plane after it returned to Essendon Airport. An investigation found the door's safety latch was faulty.
DirectAir wrote to Mr Baillieu to apologise.
In a statement last night, managing director Mark McLaughlin said: "At no stage was Mr Baillieu or his two staff in any danger."
He said DirectAir was proud of its safety record. "It flies thousands of hours every year and this is the first time in its history that a door latch has come loose."
Mr Baillieu emphasised he was happy with the service and would gladly use the company again.
The Opposition Leader's dry sense of humour was on display during the incident, which happened last Saturday week.
As the door of the plane flew open, he told Mr Kapel and Mr McIntosh: "You'd better tell the pilot that we've lost the door."
After the pilot's frantic efforts to close the door failed, Mr Baillieu said: "I suppose this means we had better keep our seatbelts on."
The Age, Paul Austin
July 13, 2007
OPPOSITION Leader Ted Baillieu and two other senior Victorian Liberals have been involved in a frightening mid-air drama during a flight from Melbourne to inspect flood-ravaged East Gippsland.
The door on their light plane flew open at about 6000 feet as gusty winds buffeted the aircraft in foggy conditions.
One of the two pilots raced down the aisle and battled to close the door, which was banging on the fuselage of the 10-seater Piper Chieftain.
Mr Baillieu, who was sitting closest to the door, held onto pilot Scott Talman as he leaned out of the plane and tried to pull it closed.
Realising the wind was too strong, Mr Talman warned the passengers to tighten their seatbelts, rushed back to his seat and sent out a distress call so the twin-engine plane could make an emergency landing at Traralgon.
The three passengers — Mr Baillieu, his chief of staff Michael Kapel and Opposition emergency services spokesman Andrew McIntosh — and Mr Talman and co-pilot Connie Dunn endured freezing temperatures and high winds in the cabin during a 10-minute descent to Latrobe regional airport, with the door still open.
"Probably the biggest danger was that one of us could have been sucked out," Mr McIntosh said yesterday.
"It's not like a big jet that is pressurised — you are not flying at that level — but the speed and the wind could have easily dragged us out."
He said the most anxious moments were when the pilot was "fighting with the door".
"It was pretty brave of the pilot to do what he did," Mr McIntosh said.
"After we'd got back onto the ground, he said he'd never seen anything like that in all his years of flying."
Mr Baillieu said: "I've spent a fair bit of time in small planes over the years and been in some interesting situations before, but not quite as interesting as that one."
Asked how his wife and children had reacted when he told them what had happened, Mr Baillieu said: "They were happy that I was telling them about it rather than someone else."
He paid tribute to the "thorough professionalism" of the pilots, who were able to secure the door while the plane was on the runway at Traralgon before flying on to their destination, Bairnsdale.
Charter company DirectAir decommissioned the plane after it returned to Essendon Airport. An investigation found the door's safety latch was faulty.
DirectAir wrote to Mr Baillieu to apologise.
In a statement last night, managing director Mark McLaughlin said: "At no stage was Mr Baillieu or his two staff in any danger."
He said DirectAir was proud of its safety record. "It flies thousands of hours every year and this is the first time in its history that a door latch has come loose."
Mr Baillieu emphasised he was happy with the service and would gladly use the company again.
The Opposition Leader's dry sense of humour was on display during the incident, which happened last Saturday week.
As the door of the plane flew open, he told Mr Kapel and Mr McIntosh: "You'd better tell the pilot that we've lost the door."
After the pilot's frantic efforts to close the door failed, Mr Baillieu said: "I suppose this means we had better keep our seatbelts on."
"Probably the biggest danger was that one of us could have been sucked out," Mr McIntosh said yesterday.
wits
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Sucked out of a Chieftain at A060.......wits
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Embarrassing moments in my flying career
Isn't the dreaded door latch an ongoing problem with Pipers?
Over thirty years-odd I've had doors become slightly unlatched (although not flapping about in the breeze like Mr Baillieu's) on a Cherokee 140 (twice) and once on a Tomahawk.
The problem is the door seems to shut, it feels shut, it sounded like it did shut, when you press it it doesn't budge, then blow me down, you get to A015 and the thud, follwed by the roar (well, on a Cherokee, whimper) of the slipstream which holds the door in place - and prevents you from re-closing the darn thing properly.
Best solution - climb to five thousand, HASSELL, stall the aircraft, reach over and pull the door shut and lock it, and pull out by A045.
I have to say, one gets better at doing that with a bit of practice.
Fortunately, I've never had the same thing happen on the Saab...
Over thirty years-odd I've had doors become slightly unlatched (although not flapping about in the breeze like Mr Baillieu's) on a Cherokee 140 (twice) and once on a Tomahawk.
The problem is the door seems to shut, it feels shut, it sounded like it did shut, when you press it it doesn't budge, then blow me down, you get to A015 and the thud, follwed by the roar (well, on a Cherokee, whimper) of the slipstream which holds the door in place - and prevents you from re-closing the darn thing properly.
Best solution - climb to five thousand, HASSELL, stall the aircraft, reach over and pull the door shut and lock it, and pull out by A045.
I have to say, one gets better at doing that with a bit of practice.
Fortunately, I've never had the same thing happen on the Saab...
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Presumably ATSB would be interested if the design of the door latching mechanism is defective? And had there been verbal reports by other pilots of this specific aircraft of a door problem? These things just don't happen without hints of previous little events that eventually when pieced together reveal a potential problem. Happens with other aircraft types. Depends a lot if pilots report the problem in the maintenance release. Experience reveals they seldom do.
Duchess doors were known to "pop" open on take off and several years ago ATSB acknowledged there had been many instances of Duchess doors experiencing uncommanded opening. Yet ATSB had not been aware of the extent of the problem because few pilots ever defected the doors in the maintenance release. It was only when the problem of Duchess doors was highlighted in the Flight Safety Australia magazine that the cat was let out of the bag.
If doors or hatches are continually difficult to shut on the ground without slamming or equally unusual measures, then the defect should be addressed immediately - not shrugged off with the old "that's GA" mentality. Because one day that door or hatch may pop open in flight at the most unconvenient time as the media have just recorded.
Duchess doors were known to "pop" open on take off and several years ago ATSB acknowledged there had been many instances of Duchess doors experiencing uncommanded opening. Yet ATSB had not been aware of the extent of the problem because few pilots ever defected the doors in the maintenance release. It was only when the problem of Duchess doors was highlighted in the Flight Safety Australia magazine that the cat was let out of the bag.
If doors or hatches are continually difficult to shut on the ground without slamming or equally unusual measures, then the defect should be addressed immediately - not shrugged off with the old "that's GA" mentality. Because one day that door or hatch may pop open in flight at the most unconvenient time as the media have just recorded.
It was only when the problem of Duchess doors was highlighted in the Flight Safety Australia magazine that the cat was let out of the bag.
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I have to say the first TWO times it happened to me I was an 18-year old student pilot in the UK.
I blamed myself for what I thought was an inadequate level of care when closing the door.
Later (years later) when comparing notes with other pilots, it seems to have been a bit of a common theme, not related to any one airframe, but related always to Piper, never Cessna. At least, not that I was able to discern.
Forgot about it until picking up this morning's Age...
Might be a bit late to report but one aircraft I remember in the UK was G-AWBS. Of course, that was 1971, so they may have solved - or more likely, scrapped it - by now.
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I'll be... It was still around in 2005
I blamed myself for what I thought was an inadequate level of care when closing the door.
Later (years later) when comparing notes with other pilots, it seems to have been a bit of a common theme, not related to any one airframe, but related always to Piper, never Cessna. At least, not that I was able to discern.
Forgot about it until picking up this morning's Age...
Might be a bit late to report but one aircraft I remember in the UK was G-AWBS. Of course, that was 1971, so they may have solved - or more likely, scrapped it - by now.
--------------
I'll be... It was still around in 2005
Last edited by VH-Cheer Up; 13th Jul 2007 at 03:51. Reason: add link to really elderly aircraft pic
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but related always to Piper, never Cessna.
Many 400 series are fitted with clips, latches and other assorted locks to prevent this from happening!
I myself have had three incidents, one in Mr Beechs finest and two in Mr Cessnas! Luckily though these were long, long ago...
I might add that most of these types of occurences are caused by 'finger trouble', in my case, only one was not my fault!
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"If doors or hatches are continually difficult to shut on the ground without slamming or equally unusual measures, then the defect should be addressed immediately - not shrugged off with the old "that's GA" mentality. Because one day that door or hatch may pop open in flight at the most unconvenient time as the media have just recorded."
Hey, most of the GA aircraft doors I have seen need to be slammed, or held shut, then latched.
Besides, the aircraft should have been grounded a Traralgon. How can you continue to the destination, then ground it? The lower door pax door on the Chieftain is veeeeeery close to the tailplane when it comes off.
Hey, most of the GA aircraft doors I have seen need to be slammed, or held shut, then latched.
Besides, the aircraft should have been grounded a Traralgon. How can you continue to the destination, then ground it? The lower door pax door on the Chieftain is veeeeeery close to the tailplane when it comes off.
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Finger trouble
Either by the pilots or the engineers. I flew Chieftains for many years, and never had a rear door problem, or heard of one.
It's easy to blame the aeroplane, but most problems are caused by people.
It's easy to blame the aeroplane, but most problems are caused by people.
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......it seems to have been a bit of a common theme, not related to any one airframe, but related always to Piper, never Cessna. At least, not that I was able to discern.
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Bushy,
I agree...flew pa31 for long enough (too long), the door must not have been closed properly.....
From memory doesnt the chieftan have an latch on the right hand side of the downward closing door that would make it nearly impossible to open in flight..the ones I flew did!! Perhaps this was faulty or not secured....
Just a thought!!!!!!
I agree...flew pa31 for long enough (too long), the door must not have been closed properly.....
From memory doesnt the chieftan have an latch on the right hand side of the downward closing door that would make it nearly impossible to open in flight..the ones I flew did!! Perhaps this was faulty or not secured....
Just a thought!!!!!!
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I agree with Bushy and Kavorka, from my recollections, very, very hard to not lock the Chieftan correctly, in fact I have never heard of one coming open in flight previously!
Now the nose locker, well that is a different story...
Now the nose locker, well that is a different story...
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Yeah, but there's a big difference between flying with the door removed, and the door being removed whilst in flight! As mentioned above, the PA31 rear door is close to the stab.