Two commercial airliners narrowly missing colliding over Brisbane Airport as one was taking off and the other attempted to land has been blamed on human error.
Traffic controllers had cleared the Avalon-bound Jetstar Boeing 717 for take-off from the main runway at the same time that a Macair Metro was approaching the converging strip at the airport’s northern end.
The Metro crew decided its approach was too steep and decided to go round.
This created a situation where the Boeing crossed about 625m in front of and 176m above the Metro.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau which investigated the August 2005 incident said it represented a breakdown of separation for which there were a number of reasons.
The Metro’s descent had been restricted by another aircraft which placed it above the normal landing profile and the crew continued an approach that was unlikely to succeed.
The aerodrome controller misjudged the position of the Metro and did not adequately consider the aircraft might go round for another approach.
An attempt to alert the Metro crew to the Boeing did not include the required safety alert information.
The bureau said the Metro crew was completing a 12-hour day, that included breaks, and wanted to “get the aircraft back” into Brisbane. As the Metro had flown to and back from Thargomindah with scheduled stops, crew fatigue may have contributed.
And the co-pilot, who was at the the controls, had not done many steep approaches at night, which the crew described as “pitch black”, and had only flown into Brisbane 10 times previously.
Report by The Mole
