Unfortunate Timing
September 30th, 2009 at 5:56 am by David FarrarI’m a regular visitor to Great Barrier Island and yesterday afternoon booked tickets with Great Barrier Airlines for my next visit.
Then a few hours later, I see on the TV news that GBA had one of its planes crash after takeoff, and I get a degree of nervousness – especially just a few months after a propeller fell off another GBA plane. Now this may just be “bad luck” as I understand these are the first incidents for many many years – maybe even decades.
The Herald reports:
The 50-year-old was one of four passengers in the Piper Cherokee, which plunged into a swamp at the end of the Claris Airport runaway on Great Barrier Island about 1pm.
That swamp may have saved lives!
Great Barrier police officer Kylie Robbins – who is also an ambulance driver, volunteer firefighter and rescue-boat skipper – said she and a doctor and nurse from the Aotea Health medical centre waded through the waist-deep waters of the swamp to reach the trapped and injured passenger.
Heh that is very Barrier. The police officer quadruples as the ambulance driver, firefighter and rescue skipper!
She was taken to the island’s medical centre in Ms Robbins’ four-wheel-drive police car, which doubles as an ambulance.
And also leads the Christmas Parade every year!
The damage to the plane could be seen from the air, he said.
“It looked like a wing was buried or broken off. The other wing was sticking up.”
The craft seemed “fairly intact”.
“They are very lucky to have walked away from that. When I called up the hospital, they said [the patients] seemed only moderately injured.
The planes used are tiny. There is no centre aisle – you get in over the wings and even short arses like myself have our heads almost touching the roof when seated. Stuff which makes a crash more likely to be fatal.
Apart from the swamp, what may have saved them is they were taking off, so fell from a relatively low level.
Great Barrier Airlines deputy operation manager Mike Maguire said the plane “failed to sustain a climb after take-off due to unknown causes and descended into a swamp”.
There is speculation that a very strong wind gust tipped the plane onto its side. If that is correct (and there will be a full TAIC) investigation that concerns me even more than a mechanical failure. You can fix mechanical failures but you can’t fix the wind!
Related posts:
- First hand account of Great Barrier Island plane propellor loss
- Unnerving
- The Wharf to Wharf Race
- Great Barrier Island women
September 30th, 2009 at 6:08 am
Ah, memories.
Awaking in a Gt Barrier homestay with temporary amnesia relating to where I was due to insidious amounts of alcohol the previous night, followed by a cooked breakfast and bumpy flight back to Dorkers. I made use of the sick bags during the flight.
Vote:September 30th, 2009 at 7:20 am
David
I think Fran’s comments yesterday about Kiwiblog and estate planning must be playing on your mind. lol
Vote:September 30th, 2009 at 7:48 am
Take off from Claris is VERY hairy in a strong wind. Talk about adventure tourism.
Vote:September 30th, 2009 at 8:19 am
Have done it a couple of times myself. The AIP for Claris does mention wind shear on 06/24. Hairy stuff on one or two occasions but that was in some semi marginal conditions, I can’t imagine GBA going in those weathers – especially the sou’west.
Vote:September 30th, 2009 at 8:22 am
“The 50-year -old”
Are you sure they are talking about a passenger and not the age of the plane?
Vote:September 30th, 2009 at 8:41 am
XChequer – Wind rarely stops planes leaving Barrier, it is almost always poor visibility as the 12 year old pilots (well they look about 12 to me) aren’t rated to fly on instruments…….It’s a stunning flight on a good day, especially when the wind is from the S, SE, SW as the plane flies out over Kaitoke Beach, a stunning, white sand surf beach, and circles back to come in to land low over the sand. I have waved friends off and looked in disbelief as the plane seemed to slide sideways through the air in crosswinds.
I’m going over next Friday for at least a month but I’m not nervous at all. Maybe because I’m going on the ferry with a vehicle full of supplies………!!! Mind you that trip can be interesting too, been on one that took almost 10 hours.
Vote:September 30th, 2009 at 9:14 am
“DPF – The police officer quadruples as the ambulance driver, firefighter and rescue skipper!”
Gutted if he is the one injured!!
Vote:September 30th, 2009 at 9:33 am
Loco Burro – the police officer is a “she” – and it’s normal practice to have multiple roles. The island is one of the places left that operate mostly on common sense and practicality. Auckland City Council do try and slip their crap in from time to time. Like a sign at the airport that says “14 day parking” and underneath it “20160 minutes”. I jest not. I have the photo somewhere and will post it when I dig it out.
Vote:September 30th, 2009 at 9:40 am
the 20160 minutes was to indicate to some blagging locals the exact length of 14 days
Vote:September 30th, 2009 at 10:16 am
Kaya – I would expect the majority, if not all, of the pilots to be instrument rated. You are correct though, bad visibility stops the single engine aircraft flying. If it is really bad, the multi engine aircraft won’t go either due to restrictions of the instrument approach there.
Vote:The previous accident I would put down to a manufacturing defect as engines don’t usually fail like that due to poor maintenance. So I wouldn’t worry too much just yet.
And there has NEVER been a day when I would have rather gone on the ferry than having flown.
September 30th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
Try flying Soundsair from Koromiko to Wgtn. My favourite flight diverted to Gore Bay in the outer Marlborough Sounds to pick up two pighunters and their dogs. One of the passengers had a little dog in a cage which the pig dogs sniffed at after they were tied into the luggage area behind our heads. The five-seater single engine plane then taxied back to the end of the Gore Bay airstrip to take advantage of its uphill slope for takeoff. Great fun.
Vote:September 30th, 2009 at 6:20 pm
you mention ‘typical Barrier’ – before the current community health centre was built the same current doctor and nurse used to transport you to the vet clinic elsewhere on the island for your xray if you managed to break a bone as as visiting boaty – the locals knew to go straight to the vet and wait for the doc to turn up
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