By Private John Wellfare
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One
of RAAF Base Tindal’s fire trucks sprays foam over
leaking fuel from the Cessna after it veered off the runway
and came to a stop beyond the distance-to-run markers.
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The
Cessna was flying to Darwin but opted to land at Tindal
when the problem occurred.
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The
civilian Cessna about to touch down at RAAF Base Tindal
eafter the left undercarriage failed to fully lock down.
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Photos by SGT Mark Eaton
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PERSONNEL
at RAAF Base Tindal played a part in the successful emergency
landing of a civilian aircraft when its landing gear failed during
a flight to Darwin.
The pilot of the Cessna, operated by civilian charter company
DirectAir, was alerted to a landing gear failure at about 5pm
on November 6, while flying to Darwin with no passengers on board.
The pilot opted to land at RAAF Base Tindal, rather than continue
on to Darwin.
Air Traffic Control and emergency personnel at Tindal began preparations
for the landing, as the Cessna circled the area to expend fuel.
Tindal Fire Section Commander Flight Sergeant Bruce Pocklington
said the base’s emergency personnel were standing by as the
event unfolded.
“The aircraft made multiple fly-bys of the [control] tower
for a visual inspection of the main landing gear,” he said.
“This identified that the left main undercarriage was not
in the full down locked position.
“The aircraft completed the approach and touched down. As
the main undercarriage contacted the runway, the left undercarriage
collapsed, causing the left wing to come in contact with the runway.
“The aircraft veered dramatically to the left, off the runway,
crashing through the distance-to-run markers [and] damaging the
airframe further.”
Once the aircraft had stopped, one of the base’s fire trucks,
led by Fire Controller Corporal John Fawke, approached the aircraft
and covered the leaking fuel in a blanket of foam.
“Firefighters [Leading Aircraftman] Jamie Levin and [Aircraftman]
Brandon Smith deployed a hose line and advanced to the aircraft,”
Sergeant Pocklington said.
“The pilot was assisted in exiting the aircraft before being
referred to St John Ambulance paramedics for assessment.”
The pilot suffered no injuries, but was shaken by the incident.
The aircraft’s damaged fuel lines were crimped to contain
the leaking fuel.
The runway was inspected and declared safe. Firefighters helped
to remove the aircraft the next day.
As Air Force News went to print, the Australian Transport Safety
Bureau was investigating the incident to determine the cause of
the hydraulics failure.
