Trainee pilot was a hero in November 2013 TropicAir crash

The Australian trainee pilot who was one of three people who lost their lives in the Tropicair Cessna Grand Caravan in Western last November helped the pilot from when the engine failed until it crashed, according to a preliminary report released by the PNG Accident Investigation Commission last month.

Wreckage of the aircraft being transported by barge to Panakawa.-Pictures courtesy of
PNG Accident Investigation Commission.

 

 

 

Location of SAH in the river approximately 24 hours after the accident.

Ground witness marks on Kibeni airstrip.

On Nov 25, 2013, the aircraft registered P2-SAH departed Kamusi, Western, for Purari River, Gulf, at approximately 1.51pm on a charter flight.

The aircraft was carrying the pilot and nine passengers, one of whom, in the right pilot seat was a pilot about to begin training with the operator, plus freight and baggage.

“Approximately two minutes into the cruise there was a loud ‘pop’ followed by a complete loss of engine power,” the report said.

The pilot was assisted by the passenger in the right pilot seat, who switched on the emergency locator transmitter (ELT) and began broadcasting ‘mayday’.

“Checking the database in the global positioning system (GPS), the pilot found the airstrip at Kibeni on the eastern side of the Palbuna River,” the report said.

“Kibeni airstrip is disused, uneven, and short but it was the only open ground in the area on which the pilot could attempt a forced landing.

“The pilot, assisted by the passenger next to him, tried unsuccessfully to restart the engine using the procedure in the aircraft’s quick reference handbook (QRH).

“The passenger continued to give position reports and to communicate with other aircraft.

At about 3,000 feet, the pilot asked for radio silence on the area frequency so he could concentrate on the approach to Kibeni airstrip

“The wheels contacted the ground three times but this did not slow the aircraft enough to enable the pilot to stop it before the end of the airstrip,” the report said.

“In order to clear the trees between the airstrip and the river, the pilot elected to pull up on the control column.

“The aircraft became airborne again, damaging the crown of a coconut palm as it passed over the trees between the end of the airstrip and the river.

“The pilot turned hard left and pushed forward on the control column to avoid stalling the aircraft.

“He levelled the wings before the aircraft impacted the water.

“The aircraft came to rest inverted and partially submerged, and immediately filled with water.

“After a short delay while he gained his bearings under water, the pilot was able to undo his harness and open the left cockpit door.

“He swam to the surface, opened the door at the rear of the fuselage, and helped the surviving passengers to safety on the river bank. “

After approximately 20 minutes, villagers arrived in a canoe and transported the pilot and surviving passengers across the river.

About 90 minutes after the accident, they were airlifted by helicopter to Kopi, located 44 km north east of Kibeni.

Cargo plane was overloaded with cigarettes, says preliminary report

A preliminary report into the Air Niugini cargo plane accident of Oct 19, 2013, in Madang reveals it was loaded with 330 cartons of cigarettes belonging to British American Tobacco which had not been weighed before they were loaded onto the aircraft.

P2-PXY where it came to rest in the creek.-Pictures courtesy of Accident Investigation Commission.

Aerial view of PXY and runway 07/25 in Madang.

Aerial view of PXY and ground witness marks.

 The aircraft later failed to take off and ran off the runway, based on an assumption that the total load was 3, 710kg, according to the PNG Accident Commission preliminary report released last month,

“The operator’s cargo supervisor started after the accident that PXY had been loaded on the assumption that each carton weighed 12kg, but that the cartons had not been weighed before they were loaded onto the aircraft,” the report said.

The Avions de Transport Regional ATR42-320 freighter, registered P2-PXY, was taxiing to depart from the runway bound for Tabubil, via Mt Hagen, when the accident occurred.

There were three people on board, the pilot-in-command, first officer, and a DHC-8 captain on board whose function was to provide guidance during the approach into Tabubil.

The report said the pilot-in-command reported later that the controls felt very heavy in pitch and he could not pull the control column back in the normal manner.

“Flight data recorder information indicated that after approximately two seconds, the pilot-in-command aborted the takeoff and selected full reverse thrust, and he reported later that he had applied full braking,” it said.

“It was not possible to stop the aircraft before the end of the runway and it continued over the embankment at the end of the runway and the right wing struck the perimeter fence.

“This caused the aircraft to yaw to the right and it entered a creek beyond the perimeter fence at approximately 45 degrees to its direction of movement.

“The right outboard wing section caught fire and the flight crew escaped through the hatch in the cockpit roof.

“The pilot-in-command, who was the last to remain on board, discharged the fire extinguishers in each engine and switched off the battery master switch before leaving the aircraft.

“The Madang Airport Fire and Rescue Service responded promptly and a fire truck began to spray the fire in the right wing with foam and water.

“The foam and water were exhausted before the fire was full extinguished but the fire did not spread to the right inboard wing section.

“Almost immediately after the accident, local people entered the aircraft through the hatch in the cockpit roof and the right door at the rear of the fuselage and began removing items from the cockpit and the cargo compartment.

“The aircraft was seriously damaged during the accident by the impact with the airport perimeter fence, the fire and partial immersion in salt water, and subsequently by the salvage operation during which it was lifted out of the creek and moved to a position on the airfield.”

Morobe feelings

All pictures @MALUM NALU

These are aerials I took on from a TravelAir flight over the Huon Gulf, Lae, and Markham Valley last November as it came in for landing at Nadzab Airport.

Over the Huon Gulf.

Up the Markham River with Lae City below.

Nadzab Airport.

Erap River.

Nadzab Airport.

Mangi Lo Ples.

Lae-Nadzab Super Highway

All pictures @MALUM NALU

An independent audit report commissioned by the government into the first stage of the Lae-Nadzab super highway from Bugandi to Wau-Bulolo turnoff says the costs as given by contractor China Railway International (CRI) are “unnecessarily high”.

The audit was done after a public outcry, stemming from the recent awarding of a K287.8m contract to CRI to reconstruct the first phase of the Lae to Nadzab section of the Highlands Highway, caused Prime Minister Peter O’Neill, to order an independent audit into how the project was procured, and whether the cost was within the context of good engineering practices.

Pictures of the current highway between Nadzab and Lae.

On Oct 21, 2013, IEPNG was requested through a consultancy agreement by the Chief Secretary to Government Sir Manasupe Zurenuoc, to undertake this independent audit and report its findings within 40 days.

The preliminary report was compiled by Institution of Engineers of PNG (IEPNG) and submitted on Monday, Nov 25, 2013.

The findings of the audit gave mixed results; underestimation of design criteria, lack of consideration for sustainability and future development and those could probably be the values that pushed up the potential risk factors.

“But seriously, with little data on the subgrade, and traffic, and by adopting a poor design alternative, the cost of reconstructing this section of the highway is unnecessarily high,” it said.

“Using the exact same design and bill of quantities, the audit team came up with a much lesser costs than what was priced by China Railway International.

“The audit team estimated that with this scope, it can be constructed at a cost of K173, 158,840.00 – almost 40% less than CRI.

“Two of the most expensive activities on the bill of quantities, as priced by CRI are earthworks and pavement - these two alone account for a difference of over K70m.

“It must be noted here as well that there is a discrepancy in the pricing of the project by CRI and the state transactional team (STT) failed to detect this.

“CRI included a cost of K7.6m to construct the Bewapi Bridge when it was part of the scope – this is complete negligence on the part of the STT who was supposed to provide the oversight before making the recommendation for execution.

“The audit team, in consultation with TMR and Coffey International, believes the pavement has been overdesigned, and this caused price inflation.

“By adopting a different design and utilising the existing pavement as the platform, the superimposed thickness can be much lesser and a huge saving to the state.

“With some more thorough field investigations and other calculations, the 9km section of the Highlands Highway can be reconstructed at a cost of about K110m.”