Papua New Guinea's 'deeply-troubled and dangerous' civil aviation exposed

Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s Foreign Correspondent tonight blew the lid off Papua New Guinea’s Civil Aviation Agency, with another expose about a deeply-troubled and dangerous industry, at a time when Australia and PNG are mourning the loss of lives from last week’s Kokoda tragedy.

Perhaps most alarming of all was the inability or unwillingness of authorities to investigate what happened after things did go wrong.

Foreign Correspondent revisited some of the glaring problems exposed in its 2008 report on the pathetic state of PNG aviation.

Papua New Guinea's only air crash investigator says last week's fatal Kokoda plane crash was an accident waiting to happen, and he cannot even visit every crash site because money is so tight.

Australian Sidney O'Toole, who runs PNG's Air Crash Investigation branch, told  Foreign Correspondent last night he runs a ludicrously lean operation, with a staffing situation which is "beyond critical".

He says he has an office, but no computer or dedicated fax; even now he has to use his own mobile phone on the job.

In the last year alone there have been another 12 air crashes and Mr O'Toole says he has not been able to make it to them all.

"Our staffing situation is beyond critical,” he said.

“When I use the word desperate, I mean how desperate is desperate - it's just ludicrous having one man."

Life was beginning to turn around for Mr O'Toole, with a new Accident Investigation Commission set up to get funds flowing.

He was dispatched to Canada to take an engine from a crashed aircraft back to the manufacturer for examination, which is where he was when the Twin Otter crashed near Kokoda.

"I can't be in two places at the same time," he said.

"I look at the resources and everything that have been provided by the Australian Government and there was absolutely, positively no way that our commission or the government of Papua New Guinea could respond in that manner."

 

Return to the fatal sky

Watch ABC’s Foreign Correspondent tonight for a programme which will blow the lid off Papua New Guinea’s Civil Aviation Agency, with another expose about a deeply-troubled and dangerous industry, at a time when Australia and PNG are mourning the loss of lives from last week’s Kokoda tragedy http://www.abc.net.au/foreign/content/2009/s2655403.htm

Return to the Fatal Sky

Broadcast: 18/08/2009

Reporter: Trevor Bormann

To travel any distance in PNG, air travel is often the only viable option.

At Mount Hagen in the PNG Highlands a mother and father grieve the loss of bright and ambitious son who yearned to take the helm of an international airliner. Their commercial pilot son perished in a light-plane crash 2 years earlier and yet PNG’s aviation regulators had failed to examine why the crash had occurred. Glen and Veronica Kundun wanted answers and there were none.

“This is a life we are talking about! There must be an investigation. We must get to the bottom of it. Whether it is a technical fault, whether it is pilot error, these things have got to be known.” GLEN KUNDUN, FATHER OF PILOT PATRICK

Foreign Correspondent exposed a litany of failures and witnessed sloppy standards and seat-of-the-pants procedures. Some of the aviation outfits flying the PNG skies were plain dangerous others were largely unregulated and then there were questions about the requisite skills of pilots.

Perhaps most alarming of all was the inability or unwillingness of authorities to investigate what happened after things did go wrong. Insiders - frustrated and disheartened - spoke out.

“If we have a major prang here we can’t do a damned thing. Nobody can do anything. Now that is very serious.” SIDNEY O’TOOLE
SENIOR AIR CRASH INVESTIGATOR

Aviation insiders like Sidney O’Toole told us that over the past two decades airline safety standards had ‘fallen over the edge‘and some were predicting disaster. That disaster has come to pass with the loss of 13 lives in the crash of a Twin Otter plane enroute to Kokoda.

Foreign Correspondent revisits some of the glaring problems exposed in our 2008 report and importantly speaks again with some of the key identities who participated. Others in our story continue to mourn – including an Australian family who lost a loved one and who await vainly for answers.

New accounts and perspectives about a deeply troubled and dangerous industry – this time against the heart-breaking backdrop of the Kokoda tragedy.

 

 

Report on community coverage of the crash

From Bruce Copeland

 

Dear friends,
 I am sending this report on the understanding that if I were in Australia, I would appreciate some timely and responsible input on the Kokoda crash.
 There are three investigations taking place. There are those conducted by the Australian and PNG Government.There is a third conducted by the community through the media.
 The PNG media has been most professional and caring in this matter. But they quietly print reports that give the basics to aviation in the Kokoda area.
 The investigation was started by the media in reporting villagers hearing an aircraft in the gorge. Warren Bartlett stated that the airstrip should have cone markers. This is a day time strip. He was talking of fog.
 In Post Courier today there is one letter to the editor talking of lack even of the basics in navigational aids such as cone markers and windsocks and an HF radio.
 A letter to the editor in The National refers to the need to upgrade the strip that is covered with cloud and fog more often than not. The point is made that if measures are taken to lengthen and to widen the strip with other markers put in place, the crash could have been avoided.
 All people in Port Moresby are aware of the fierce storm that hit Port Moresby on the afternoon before.
 The weather report put the storm as covering the Port Moresby / Kokoda areas. Thick cloud would have covered the area as seen on the TV weather report.
 A blog on website refers to a female pilot flying up the Eora Creek Gorge as part of her return to Port Moresby.
 We do not have to worry about community input. There is accurate insight in the street. It is valid practice for any investigation to take note of the input from media coverage.
 There is no finger pointing except criticism of Government
which is routine for newspapers. Let us hope that there is focus on command and control in decisions to fly or not to fly.
 Those of us who trek including porters are quite horrified by the crash. I meet them in the street daily.
 
Regards,
 
Bruce Copeland

 

Port Moresby mostly self-reliant in fruit, vegetable production

Most of Port Moresby’s supply of fruit and vegetables comes from areas around the city and not from the Highlands, according to a study carried out by the Fresh Produce Development Agency.

The 2008 study, results of which were released last week, shows that 50,000 tonnes of the capital’s demand is supplied from peri-urban production – including the hillsides around Port Moresby - while 7,500 tonnes is either imported from abroad or comes from Central provinces areas with good road links.

The study, however, found out that annual demand for fresh produce in the city was around 140, 500 tonnes, about double the current supply.

Port Moresby is the largest market for fresh produce in PNG, however, prior to this study adequate market information about Port Moresby was not available to guide decision-making in production, marketing and infrastructure investment in relation to PNG’s fresh produce industry.

To fill the gap, desk research and market surveys of Port Moresby’s fresh produce market were conducted over a six-week period in August-September 2008 to generate information on how Port Moresby is feeding itself.

A central finding of this project was that the majority of fresh produce was supplied from sources local to Port Moresby and not from the Highlands.

“The volume of fresh produce being supplied from the Highlands into Port Moresby appeared to be decreasing while supplied from Central province and the NCD are increasing,” according to the study.

“The annual volume of fresh produce imported into Port Moresby in 2007 was estimated to be just under 7, 500 tonnes, comprising 2, 500 tonnes from international air and sea arrivals; 3,500 tonnes from domestic sea arrivals; and 1, 430 tonnes from domestic arrivals.

“Fresh produce production in the peri-urban areas was approximately 8, 500 tonnes during the dry season from the six surveyed settlement areas, which translated into a total production of 50,000 tonnes per year from all settlements.

“Most fresh produce was sourced from Central province and the National Capital District and very little was sourced from overseas or the Highlands.

“The total supply of fresh produce to Port Moresby was estimated at 57, 780 tonnes, with 7, 430 tonnes (15%) coming from overseas and rest of Papua New Guinea, and 50, 350 tonnes (85%) from peri-urban production

“Annual demand for fresh produce in Port Moresby was estimated to be around 140, 500 tonnes.”

The study recommended, among others, that more information on future demand for fresh produce in Port Moresby in the longer term was needed, including a full-scale household survey.

It also recommended more detailed research on sources and types of supplies needed to account for the shortfall between the estimated supply of 57, 780 tonnes and the estimated demand of 140, 500 tonnes.

 

 

 

The smells of Kokoda

http://sink.es/kokoda/

 

 

Tribute to Kokoda Track plane disaster

By James Wanjik

Port Moresby, 15 August 2009

E-mail: jameswanjik@hotmail.com

 

I was among seven young brave men who took on the track 25 years ago and our memories of test of will and stamina are still fresh.

Those who lost lives last week in the plane crash are people who will be remembered for having kind hearts helping people of Kokoda Track in their own way of selfless service of people.

 God of life will give them life in eternity.
Thank you and God bless.
 Walking the Kokoda Track is many people’s will and stamina put to the test.

Twenty five years ago I was one of seven young brave men taking the track World War II angels walked to help allied forces battling the Japanese Imperial Army.

PNG would have fallen into the hands of invading Japanese.

Recently when the invading miners wanted to mine the Kokoda Track it was the Australian Government that influenced PNG Government to reject renewal of the exploration licence in the interest of State of PNG.

On 10 August 2009 a plane carrying nine Australians, one Japanese, and three Papua New Guineans surrendered their lives to angels of life to be with God of life.

PNG will be now more true to their love for life.

Looking back 25 years ago Kokoda Track was ignored by our Government.

There were no organised trekking companies.

No book on how to do on Kokoda Track.

 No planes dropping rations along the way.

Our only support was now Member for Sohe, Anthony Nene.

Names of places along the track he knew.

It took us 4 and 1/2 days to cross over from Owers Corner in Central Province to Kokoda in Oro Province.

On the track we had real adventure.

The first day saw us put up a tent on the foot of Imita Ridge.

Rain was falling cats and dogs.

 Having cup of coffee in the bush with peers was like powering a dead World War II jeep.

The night walled us from problems in store.

The second day saw us trekking to Naoro river crossing.

We came to a place that led us to a tangent for good 4 hours.

We retreated to refresh our memories.

We decided to trek back to where we had got led astray.

 Having made the connection of our route we rolled down a cliff.

We found the crossing and made it on logs supported with cane vines.

On this day we lost our coffee bottle.

A member of our peer felt the fatigue of Kokoda Track.

We exchanged angry word or two and we let it to pass.

We were a team and we would remain as a team until we reached Kokoda our goal.

Something told us to be courageous under problem situation.

It was not long my bag lost its both straps.

 I had to shoulder carry from then on.

Then in less than an hour a friend of ours fainted.

We quietly sat down to divide up the contents of our friend’s bag to ease the burden.

Now problems and powerlessness looked like taking its toll on us.

That was when I volunteered to carry our friend’s bag and shoulder carry mine.

We were on track trekking again.

On the third and fourth days we trekked pretty well.

On one leap we had no water.

Local knowledge and keeping connected to nature helped us.

About halfway up the steep slippery climb we stopped to contact nature for help.

 We were rewarded with water from the bamboos.

On half day of the fifth we crossed the famous Templeton Crossing about 3 times at different points of the Track.

It was as cold as water from a refrigerator.

Literally we were made to feel lost of our manhood.

The distinguishing things of men had leaped into our bodies.

Such is the spirit of Kokoda Track.

Words will never wipe away the memories of Kokoda Track.

Politics of Kokoda Track is in the memories of many lost and living souls.

It is a worthy politics.

Politics where people of Kokoda will win.

Nene upheld ‘name’ Jesus Christ for help.

Real leaders of real people will come to help Kokoda people.

Kokoda spirit God Father is ever powerful and gracious.

May those who lost loved ones in last week’s plane crash be consoled by knowing that PNG appreciates many kind hearts who have made our country a blessed nation.

Dragon

From PAUL OATES in Queensland, Australia

Feeding the cattle yesterday and out of the corner of my eye, I see a small movement. I'm being watched by a small dinosaur (bearded dragon).