Lucky Escape at Mackay Airport

[farri]

A Cherokee160 taking off from Mackay airport yesterday suffered engine failure at low altitude right in front of the passenger terminal (maybe 400 feet)...the pilot made a 180 degree turn, over the full Qantas RPT parked on Bay 1 and landed behind the Prime Ministers Jet on the Taxiway in front of the viewing area...Eyewitness reports put the aircraft at a 60 degree bank angle at no more than 150 feet above the Mackay passenger terminal. Strangely this is not front page in the local paper...not that this sort of thing should be blown out of proportion...but I am surprised as this to me could have been a major accident.

Winsor,

 

This is news to me,do you know why he didn`t land straight ahead,was he out of runway,was there a safer alternative,what was the alternative?

 

Frank.

 

 

[winsor68]

The incident happened...

 

I was not there on the day.

 

From having seen this aircraft and others of the same make and of similar performance take off from this airport many of times, combined with several sources of eyewitness descriptions from pilots and other aviation specialists- You won't look up from the Terminal and see a GA type go over if it is taking off...they go past. They are not high enough to clear the terminal...(Unless they are a Cub, RV, Ra-Aus type or similar...)...and if they practice engine failure they go straight or left to the beach.

 

All of the eyewitnesses are still quite amazed by what they saw...The aircraft was on the ground in less time then it takes to say this sentence.

 

What is amazing too me is that on one side is an RPT parking area, (a very, very small one), with a Q400 with 100 seats on board, the PM's two aircraft (and possibly the PM and his scores of staff) a passenger filled terminal (to be exact the departure/viewing lounges were a good target)...and about 30 staff ranged from one end of this apron to the other (we are talking the apron directly in front of the terminal baggage areas) , versus a beach with mangroves around it, mudflats etc etc....

 

 

[farri]

The incident happened... Winsor,Thanks.

 

I wasn`t sugesting it didn`t happen.

 

Frank.

[Guest Orion]

KRUDD couldn't possibly have been there.

 

If he had been by now he and his spin merchants would have had this story as a headliner nation wide.

 

I can just see it now.

 

Stop Press

 

Worlds greatest leader and respected environmental warrior narrowly escaped death today when his aircraft was attacked by an aircraft piloted by rogue elements of the G8.

 

In an act of unbridled heroism. Krudd took personal control of Airforce One and taxied the aircraft to safety saving the lives of over 30 journalists and media personalities.

 

Story ends.

 

Then again on second thoughts maybe Krudd was there and thats the reaon the story hasn't got out.

 

If Krud was in the middle of one of his speeches it wolu be guarenteed that everyone would be bored into a deep slumber and therefore no one was awake to witness the incident.

 

Kent

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

It could have been worse if Howard was still in and this happeed ,the place would have been locked down and that 5klms of fence wacked up around the entire town and any jorno who tried to report it would have been labled as a dissident. the jackbooted NSW TRG beats the living crap out of the pilot as he was dragged away to Christmas Island. Then Turnbull rolls up and say's crap what did i miss happening this time?

 

 

[turboplanner]

Ah, Political incorrectness at last - Anyone comment on what Bob Brown would have done?

 

 

[Guest Orion]

"What would Bob Brown have done ?"

 

Good question Turbo.

 

Not sure Bob knows the answer to that.

 

Remember Bob's plan isn't to actually run the show its just to make impractial policies that have no chance of ever being implemented.

 

I'm sure if you dig around in their "policies" (well thats what they call them anyway)

 

you'd see that somewhere after releasing all illegal immigrants, withdrawing from the war on terror, apologizing to the world for our existence, throwing open our borders and putting the entire nation on government grants to study the migratory habits of the Aleutian Whooping Seal that there would be a policy banning all non essential flight as it impinges upon the habitat of Great Southern Farting swallow. (God knows the world needs more farting swallows) Not to mention it would reduce our carbon emissions.

 

Press release would probably go something like this

 

"PM Bob Brown narrowly averted tradgedy today when the aircraft he was flying in ran out of non dairy soy based products. An emergency sortie to the nearest oganic farm nearly ended in tradgey when the dolphin piloting the mission had an alergic reation to the non wheat based gluten free bread served with his inflight meal. Fortuneately his co pilot, a Harp Seal with limited flying experience, was able to take control of the aircraft before it crashed into a recently converted Qantas Jet full of dugongs waiting to fly to Kyoto."

 

Long live political incorrectness !

 

@@$##@@#$ if they can't take a joke

 

Kent

 

 

[turboplanner]

Ah, Orion, there's the rub - the "green" policies are there to disguise the real one such as same sex marriages and free injecting rooms....

 

"The aircraft narrowly missed Bill abd Bob who were just returning from their honeymoon to the Reef.

 

"Not so lucky was a junkie who'd just decided to have an "extra" after spending all morning at the airport lounge which has recently been converted into a free injecting room, available to all passengers...."

 

 

[Guest Orion]

amen brother!

 

long live the politically incorrect !

 

 

[facthunter]

Thread.

 

All somewhat amusing , but haven't we wandered from the thread. Start a polititian lambasting thread. Nev..

 

 

[Guest Orion]

we wander here

 

we wander there

 

we wander everywhere

 

 

[turboplanner]

Maybe we have, or maybe the thread was a chain pulling exercise.

 

 

[winsor68]

Ignorance is not political correctness...And hey...I am not implying that you are all ignorant OK?

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

If a thread has not been hijacked on these forums it wasn't worth viewing in the first place. but then maybe we should have a section called 'take it out to the carpark'

 

Perfect place for politics and such.

 

whilst were at it here when they banned the commie party were did all their members turn up. yep the greens.,

 

back to the subject at hand. just who owns that cherokee? H I Airways? or was it a private aircraft?

 

King Ozzie

 

 

[facthunter]

Thread.

 

Not trying to ban anything. There is a very inconsistent approach to adhering to the thread topic, at times on this forum. If you don't do it, it is not worthwhile making a serious contribution any time. If turning back at low altitude with an engine failure is not a serous topic, I don't know what should be. Nev..

 

 

[winsor68]

Well said Nev...You people should go twitter!

 

 

[winsor68]

And admin...you might have to change the name of the sight to The Fascist Flyer judging by some of the views expressed by its members...

 

 

[Guest Orion]

Hey Turbo

 

Can you return my Jackboots please.

 

They were only a loan.

 

 

[turboplanner]

Winsor is taking this very seriously Orion.

 

Let's see if we can start with some hard evidence that the event ever took place.

 

Or let's look at the possibility of doing what may be up to 270 degrees of turn in a Cherokee 160 with zero power, clearing reasonably high objects (A320 fin???) towards the flare.

 

 

[shags_j]

KRUDD couldn't possibly have been there.If he had been by now he and his spin merchants would have had this story as a headliner nation wide.

 

I can just see it now.

 

Stop Press

 

Worlds greatest leader and respected environmental warrior narrowly escaped death today when his aircraft was attacked by an aircraft piloted by rogue elements of the G8.

 

In an act of unbridled heroism. Krudd took personal control of Airforce One and taxied the aircraft to safety saving the lives of over 30 journalists and media personalities.

 

Story ends.

 

Then again on second thoughts maybe Krudd was there and thats the reaon the story hasn't got out.

 

If Krud was in the middle of one of his speeches it wolu be guarenteed that everyone would be bored into a deep slumber and therefore no one was awake to witness the incident.

 

Kent

Awesome. Love it.

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

OK serious. how do we find out if this happene?.

 

try talking to the controllers if there are any onsite.

 

have a look in the maintianence facilties there. Is a cherokee being repaired. callsign and contact the owner. an incident report must have been filed with someone like airport ops and CASA. talk to the groundsman someone must have dragged this off the ramp and put it somewhere. Go thru the register and see who in the area owns a cherokee. If this happned there must be a paper trail.

 

Ozzie

 

 

[Guest Qwerty]

Winsor is taking this very seriously Orion.Let's see if we can start with some hard evidence that the event ever took place.

 

Or let's look at the possibility of doing what may be up to 270 degrees of turn in a Cherokee 160 with zero power, clearing reasonably high objects (A320 fin???) towards the flare.

OK guys, I just spoke to Patrick in the tower at Mackay.

 

It did happen.

 

The enging "lost" a cylinder, there was an instructor and a student on board, th einstructor turned back very low and very steep. One RPT pilot thought the 160 was comming through his windscreen. The 160 landed on the apron.

 

There is a beach about 500 m off the end of 14 that may have been a better option.

 

 

[winsor68]

Yep

 

OK guys, I just spoke to Patrick in the tower at Mackay.One RPT pilot thought the 160 was comming through his windscreen. option.[/quote

And would have if this aircraft hadn't been delayed...

[shags_j]

I would have thought a teacher should practice what they preach. I have learnt from both GA and RA and every single instructor has drilled into me, never turn back to the runway. If an instructor has a student in the aircraft, I would have that it better to land ahead, aside from the fact he could have taken more lives trying to turn back.

 

So with that level of bank in a cherokee his stall speed would be astronomically high. I'm stunned he made it back at all. I don't care what kind of training you have, that's gotta be the wrong way to do things. BUt then that is a qualified opinion as I don't have the xperience to know for sure.

 

 

[winsor68]

Mackay has a proud history of Cheerokee incidents and accidents.

 

These aircraft and pilots also carry tourists to the Islands off our coast...It seems to me that Mr Joe public is not given enough information about their flight to be making an informed choice...I cringe every time I see a group with the usual enormous suitcases making their way out to these ageing GA dinosaurs...

 

I don't think the pilot had time to make an informed decision in this incident...and I shudder to think what the outcome would have been had the aircraft been more heavily loaded...