Teen pilot crash-lands in NSW mountains
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Teen pilot crash-lands in NSW mountains
News.com.au
It appears he made the most out of a difficult situation.
16-YEAR-OLD pilot on his fourth solo flight made a crash landing in the NSW Snowy Mountains region after bad weather set in.
A TEENAGE pilots had a lucky escape after low light and fog forced him to make a crash landing in the NSW Snowy Mountains.
THE 16-year-old was on his fourth solo flight in a single-engine aircraft from Jindabyne airport on Wednesday afternoon, when he landed in a paddock, police said.
A search had began before the boy walked to a nearby property in Khancoban and raised the alarm.
A TEENAGE pilots had a lucky escape after low light and fog forced him to make a crash landing in the NSW Snowy Mountains.
THE 16-year-old was on his fourth solo flight in a single-engine aircraft from Jindabyne airport on Wednesday afternoon, when he landed in a paddock, police said.
A search had began before the boy walked to a nearby property in Khancoban and raised the alarm.
Thread Starter
What type of aircraft?
A good chance it was a Jabiru.
Teenage pilot makes emergency landing in NSW Snowy Mountains, walks away unharmed - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
From ABC
A 16-year-old pilot has walked away unharmed after making an emergency landing in the New South Wales Snowy Mountains.
Stacey Gibb, who was on his fourth solo flight, took off from the Jindabyne airport yesterday and the alarm was raised when he did not return as scheduled.
The region's rescue helicopter was called in to help search for the teen, who was found just before 7:00pm.
The single-engine, two-seater Jabiru was resting in a paddock near Khancoban on the western side of the mountains.
Police said low light and fog prevented him from returning to Jindabyne, so he made an emergency landing and walked to a nearby property to raise the alarm.
An instructor from the club went out to collect him after the incident.
Stacey was participating in the Snowy Mountains Grammar School's Aviation Program at the time of the incident.
The school's principal Andrew Bell said the teen acted calmly under pressure when he had to divert from his specified flight path, and landed safely.
"His flight instructor is very proud of how he managed the situation and maintained his composure to successfully land the aircraft," Mr Bell said.
"The school is very proud of our student, who appears to have done exactly the right thing in very trying circumstances."
The plane had some minor damage to its undercarriage.
ACT Emergency Services Agency acting commissioner David Foot said it was "a good news story which had an alarming start".
"We had a report of an aircraft overdue between Dalgety and Jindabyne just after 5:00pm," he said.
"Snowy Hydro Southcare went up to commence search preparations and the aircraft and pilot were located safe and well."
Recreation Aviation Australia's chief executive Michael Linke praised the young pilot.
Mr Linke said the aircraft was not registered to fly in the dark and the teen made the right decision to land.
"Most of the problems that we see with our pilots, whether they're 16-year-olds or 80-year-olds, [are] around decision making," he said.
"This young chap exercised all the appropriate decisions that we want our pilots to make before they get themselves into strife.
"He knew it was getting dark, he knew he couldn't get back to Jindabyne airport, he located an appropriate area to land and made a perfectly safe landing."
Officers from the Albury Local Area Command are investigating the incident and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau have also been notified.
From ABC
A 16-year-old pilot has walked away unharmed after making an emergency landing in the New South Wales Snowy Mountains.
Stacey Gibb, who was on his fourth solo flight, took off from the Jindabyne airport yesterday and the alarm was raised when he did not return as scheduled.
The region's rescue helicopter was called in to help search for the teen, who was found just before 7:00pm.
The single-engine, two-seater Jabiru was resting in a paddock near Khancoban on the western side of the mountains.
Police said low light and fog prevented him from returning to Jindabyne, so he made an emergency landing and walked to a nearby property to raise the alarm.
An instructor from the club went out to collect him after the incident.
Stacey was participating in the Snowy Mountains Grammar School's Aviation Program at the time of the incident.
The school's principal Andrew Bell said the teen acted calmly under pressure when he had to divert from his specified flight path, and landed safely.
"His flight instructor is very proud of how he managed the situation and maintained his composure to successfully land the aircraft," Mr Bell said.
"The school is very proud of our student, who appears to have done exactly the right thing in very trying circumstances."
The plane had some minor damage to its undercarriage.
ACT Emergency Services Agency acting commissioner David Foot said it was "a good news story which had an alarming start".
"We had a report of an aircraft overdue between Dalgety and Jindabyne just after 5:00pm," he said.
"Snowy Hydro Southcare went up to commence search preparations and the aircraft and pilot were located safe and well."
Recreation Aviation Australia's chief executive Michael Linke praised the young pilot.
Mr Linke said the aircraft was not registered to fly in the dark and the teen made the right decision to land.
"Most of the problems that we see with our pilots, whether they're 16-year-olds or 80-year-olds, [are] around decision making," he said.
"This young chap exercised all the appropriate decisions that we want our pilots to make before they get themselves into strife.
"He knew it was getting dark, he knew he couldn't get back to Jindabyne airport, he located an appropriate area to land and made a perfectly safe landing."
Officers from the Albury Local Area Command are investigating the incident and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau have also been notified.
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Yep, the instructor may be the cause, or may not, difficult to tell these things from the media report. Certainly when I was an instructor a fourth solo would still be in the circuit with me supervising weather and light decisions.
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Ease up a bit, you lot!
At least it did not have a tragic ending.
At least it did not have a tragic ending.
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with reporting these days, how do we know it was just his 4th solo, and not 4th solo Nav? sounds to me to be precautionary search and landing, due to low cloud and fading light, so a good decision on that one, but unfortunately the aircraft suffered minor damage on landing... so all in all, not really an emergency.
Bull! Even the most prudent pilots can be tested by deteriorating weather sometimes. Have you ever had to change your plans because the cloud and vis started closing in? Good on the young fella.
Good Airmanship comes from experience, his is lacking as he's a student, we all started there, what he did was realise the situation he was in and took the right measures to get himself down safely. A different person may have panicked and been a lot worse of, by all accounts he did what he had to do and is alive to tell the story, good on him!
There are a lot of other far more experienced Pilots who have done a lot worse.
There are a lot of other far more experienced Pilots who have done a lot worse.
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Am not knocking the young bloke at all he did a great job, more the instructor who should of known better in putting him in that situation in the first place so early on in his training.
. Good outcome regardless. I see an airline pilot in the makings here. 
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Good airmanship would not have placed himself into that in the first place.
Just for the record, I assume you have a thousand or so hours in command in your log book? I would hate to think anyone could comment on piloting or something technical if they are not CASA approved to teach it or do it and then to comment on it.
With the student going 1st solo in April, it does seem like this flight is a 1st training area solo. Well done to the student in making a difficult decision.
I would imagine CASA's focus will be on the instructor, in particular the competencies regarding the students orientation in the training area and how to get back to home field. CASA just love looking for the tiniest things, error or contradiction in a training record.
I have done over 400 training area solo checks to date, I make absolutely certain that my student can re-orientate themselves from anywhere in the training area and get themselves home. This is as important as the airwork component.
The Jindabyne Aero club seems to be a pretty switched on outfit, one of the members has written probably the best mountain flying guide I have come across.
Will be interesting to see the outcome of the investigation.
http://www.jindabyneaeroclub.org.au/mountain-flying.pdf
I would imagine CASA's focus will be on the instructor, in particular the competencies regarding the students orientation in the training area and how to get back to home field. CASA just love looking for the tiniest things, error or contradiction in a training record.
I have done over 400 training area solo checks to date, I make absolutely certain that my student can re-orientate themselves from anywhere in the training area and get themselves home. This is as important as the airwork component.
The Jindabyne Aero club seems to be a pretty switched on outfit, one of the members has written probably the best mountain flying guide I have come across.
Will be interesting to see the outcome of the investigation.
http://www.jindabyneaeroclub.org.au/mountain-flying.pdf