Quick! Turn on the lights

By Andrew Stackpool

Air Traffic Controllers SQNLDR Darren Olsson and FLTLT Wayne Langford display their awards for averting an aeroplane crash in Darwin.

Photo illustration by PTE John Wellfare

Photo by LAC Allan Cooper

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* The incident occurred on January 12 last year in Darwin. Visibility was reduced to 1000m because of low cloud and rain showers. The pilot of the Cessna 206 was able to land safely after using the lights of nearby sports grounds, turned on at ATC request, to find the airport .

The quick thinking of two Air Force air traffic controllers in averting a potential air disaster in Darwin has been recognised.

Squadron Leader Darren Olsson and Flight Lieutenant Wayne Langford from the No. 44 Wing detachment recently received the 2004 Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) Field Award for Flying Safety.

On behalf of the Australian Division of the RAeS, Wing Commander David Shepherd, the Senior Air Traffic Control officer at Darwin, presented the two officers with their awards, a certificate and $200 each, on May 5.

The drama unfolded on January 12 last year when weather at Darwin airport deteriorated to below visual flight criteria, with low cloud and visibility reduced to 1000m in rain showers.

“It was one of the worst stormy days we’ve had,” FLTLT Langford said. “We only get about three like this each year. Normally, in the wet [season] the storms roll through, but this one hung around.”

At 4.10pm, an inbound civilian Cessna 206 contacted Darwin Tower and reported that he was operating under visual flight rules (VFR). He was having difficulty maintaining visual contact with the coastline and had only 60 minutes of fuel remaining.

At the time SQNLDR Olsson and FLTLT Langford were on duty in the tower. The then-Flight Lieutenant Olsson was the ATC tower supervisor and FLTLT Langford was under training to be a tower supervisor.

“This was a potentially serious incident,” FLTLT Langford said. “In training, we are told that an aircraft flying VFR and meeting instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) is about the worst situation a pilot can meet. We had to move pretty quickly.”

The officers realised the Cessna was not rated to instrument flying and could only rely on VFR.

“We told him to maintain visual with the ground as best he possibly could, which he did,” he said.
“He did well to remain in visual as much as he did but, unfortunately thanks to the weather, he couldn’t maintain
visual on the runway.”

As the minutes ticked by and conditions continued to deteriorate, the aircraft reported he was flying at 500m but was unable to sight the runway, even though at times he closed to a mile from the airport. In their turn, the controllers could not sight the aircraft. They declared an emergency phase on the aircraft and implemented the in-flight emergency response checklist for an aircraft operating VFR in IMC.

“At this stage he told us how much fuel he had remaining and we worked out he would have about 20 minutes left,” he said. “He didn’t have enough fuel left to divert and we didn’t want him to run out of fuel over the houses. We kept trying to bring him in, in breaks in the weather at the airport, but by the time he got there it had closed in again.”

Frustrated, they discussed possible means to assist the pilot identify the runway and realised they could use the lights at the nearby Marrara football stadium, about 2km north of the airfield, and the rugby ground.

“We just thought outside the square,” FLTLT Langford said. “... We thought that if he could see the lights through the clouds he could then work out where the runway was in location to them; a stepping-stone approach.”

At 4.47pm, they asked the stadium to switch on its floodlights and then eight minutes later made the request to the rugby field.

“We were worried that no-one was there, but when I rang Marrara I was answered by the guy who actually turned the lights on. He had the keys with him and when I told him the situation he immediately ran over and turned them on. That took about five minutes as it takes three minutes for the lights to warm up.

“It was the same for the rugby ground, which is next to the Marrara ground. One of the guys on duty was a player and knew the guys there, so we said, ‘ring them’. We may as well have both sets on. He did and they came on almost immediately.”

Shortly after 5pm, the pilot reported he had the football stadium lights visual and shortly after that he had sighted the runway. He landed his Cessna safely.

“He was very happy to land. He used the non-duty runway but couldn’t have cared. He sounded calm during the whole incident, but I think he was glad to get down.”

WGCDR Shepherd congratulated the two officers for their actions.

“You have both shown that, when faced with a difficult situation, you were able to recognise and coordinate an effective solution,” he said. “In doing so, you have helped a pilot in distress and are a credit to [Air Force] Air Traffic Control.”

FLTLT Langford, who graduated as a Tower Supervisor after the incident, said he and SQNLDR Olsson had been very surprised and “definitely pleased” that they had been recognised at this level.

“It was a big surprise. We got the Air Force Good Show Award about six months ago, and now this.”

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