Jet crashes are rare in Australia, but one happened last night at Norfolk Island and no one in the media noticed.
All six people on board a CareFlight medical evacuation jet have survived a ditching in the sea near the island.
The jet was a Pel-Air Aviation Westwind, flying from Apia in Western Samoa to Melbourne, via a refuelling stop at the often weather-affected Norfolk Island strip.
After making three missed approaches in deteriorating conditions and with fuel levels close to empty, captain Dominic James declared that a water landing would be made close to the island.
The small jet’s occupants, two pilots, the patient and accompanying spouse and two medical crew were retrieved by rescue boat and taken to the island’s hospital for observation.
Pel-Air Aviation is owned by REX, the regional airline.
John Sharp, chairman of Pel-Air Aviation, issued a statement that says:
They performed an intricate landing on water in darkness resulting in the evacuation of everyone safely and quickly.
The training of both the Pel-Air and CareFlight crew came to the fore as everyone kept together and remained calm. Their professionalism stood out on the day and made a substantial difference to the outcome.
CASA is understood to be examining the regulations concerning the alternative fuel requirements for operations of this nature, and the ATSB has launched an investigation looking at the safety rather than regulatory issues.
For airliner operations a flight to Norfolk Island without fuel reserves that allowed for a missed approach and a diversion to an alternative airport such at Auckland or Nouméa would be illegal.
Ben,
to say “no one” noticed is a lie.
The third story written on this matter by AAP follows on below.
SYDNEY, Nov 19 AAP – The pilots who safely landed a medical evacuation plane on the sea off Norfolk Island have been praised for their skill and professionalism.
The plane, carrying an expatriate Australian woman patient from Samoa to Melbourne, was running low on fuel after bad weather thwarted several attempts at landing on the island for a scheduled refuelling stop on Wednesday night.
The pilot-in-command, Captain Dominic James, decided to make a controlled landing onto the sea off the island and the Westwind jet, operated by Pel-Air for Careflight NSW, landed successfully on the water.
The patient, her husband, two medical crew and two pilots evacuated safely and were later rescued by boat after the plane sank within minutes of landing.
The six had to cling to each other in the water after only three had time to grab life jackets.
Pel-Air Aviation chairman John Sharp said he was very proud of the captain and first officer.
“Their professionalism stood out on the day and made a substantial difference to the outcome,” he said.
“They executed what would have to be described as a perfect landing on water,” Mr Sharp told reporters in Sydney.
“The pilots ensured that the aircraft landed close to the coast, close to rescue.
“They landed at night, approximately we think about 9.30 local time and as a result of the skill of the pilots the aircraft landed in the water and none of the passengers were injured.”
Careflight spokesman John Badham said earlier reports that the woman patient was critically ill were incorrect.
She was in a stable condition but required medical monitoring on the flight, he told AAP.
Her condition did not appear to have worsened as a result of her time in the water.
She would be transferred by air from the Norfolk Island hospital to Melbourne later on Thursday or Friday when a suitably equipped plane was available, Mr Badham said.
The delay was not expected to significantly affect her condition, he said.
Norfolk Island airport manager Glenn Robinson said the passengers were shaken up after their ordeal.
“They were extremely lucky and believe me, they all know it,” he told Fairfax Radio Network on Thursday.
“Full credit to the pilot. It was just an amazing effort by him.”
A new moon had provided little light for the boat crew, but one rescuer eventually sighted the faint glow from one of the life jackets, Mr Robinson said.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau said it would investigate the incident.
AAP wjf/evt
Wow, good work by the Pilots
It also made the TripleJ news bulletins this morning too.
‘Hero Hunk’ – what a joke. Very unprofessional conduct by a pilot probably following company orders to carry no more fuel than necessary. Very lucky boy. Let’s hope some changes are made to the regs covering these types of operation. Signed – Maverick
I don’t agree that the media missed it, exactly, Ben, but the treatment was certainly a tribute to skilful media management by someone or other. Even with a few cadets on the overnight shift handling the story, the conventional way of dealing with a crash like this (after the basic death toll and how many Australians- how sad for the media that they all survived) used to be to spend a fair bit of time asking how come it could not land at the airport, despite several goes, and who was to blame, and why only half the people on board exited with lifejackets.
It would normally only be much later that the lead would move on to the pilot being some kind of winner of a blokes beauty contest, as distinct from the morning TV coverage. Like I say, great media management by someone. If only Britney had hired whoever was manipulating THIS story.