A senior pilot is casting a black cloud over night flights, saying
Queenstown Airport is dicey enough in daylight – let alone in darkness.
The veteran jet captain – who can’t be named because his airline
contract bans media comment – warned last week that a Queenstown
aviation disaster is inevitable unless major changes are made.
His chilling prediction coincided with Mountain Scene revelations of a
Transport Accident Investigation Commission report citing “system drift”
and rising risk levels at Queenstown’s increasingly busy airport.
In an extensive interview this week, the airline captain – we’ll call
him ‘Peter’ – says he’s very concerned about Queenstown Airport’s push
for potentially lucrative night flights.
“There are a lot of issues presenting during daylight operations, let alone at night.
“Queenstown is by far the most hazardous airport in New Zealand,” Peter says.
“Some pilots have been spooked so much by the challenge of operating into ZQN they simply try and avoid it.”
The TAIC report heavily criticises the Civil Aviation Authority and
tower operator Airways Corporation, urging “a review of [Queenstown’s]
entire air traffic management system and operational procedures”.
Peter’s stunned at TAIC’s indictments of CAA and Airways – the report
was an official inquiry on how Qantas and Pacific Blue jets came to be
on a potential collision course in June 2010.
“Terrain, weather and runway difficulties make piloting a passenger jet into and out of Queenstown tough enough,” he says.
Peter adds that having extra layers of risk from what he claims are “air
traffic control inadequacies and a slack regulatory regime” is
absolutely intolerable.
There’s “a disconnect between airlines, Airways and CAA”, Peter believes.
“[TAIC’s report] is a sad indictment on CAA who’ve had their blinkers on
when assessing the various airlines operating into ZQN and the general
operating environment there.”
As an example, the veteran pilot flays CAA for allowing airlines – if
they chose – to restrict Queenstown-specific simulator and other
training to captains only, leaving co-pilots unprepared for ZQN’s
trickier landings and take-offs.
“If the captain becomes incapacitated, the first officer takes over,”
Peter points out, adding co-pilots also monitor captains to ensure
correct flight procedures are followed.
“How can a first officer do this if he or she isn’t trained for the particular operation?”
Air NZ, Jetstar and Qantas were training first officers for Queenstown
flights – Pacific Blue wasn’t until CAA made it mandatory last November
during TAIC’s investigation.
All jet pilots now undergo “a comprehensive briefing, a simulator
exercise and a minimum of two familiarisation flights” before flying
into Queenstown, TAIC says.
“This was an incredible omission on the part of CAA and a reflection of CAA’s airline-friendly officials,” Peter alleges.
Queenstown Airport chief executive Scott Paterson told Mountain Scene
last week he’s keen on night flights – as was his predecessor Steve
Sanderson – and he sees TAIC’s report as “providing more clarity”.
CAA has recently conducted a “risk review” of Queenstown operations and
CAA spokesperson Emma Peel has said Airways, airlines and the airport
are being consulted.
Airways is working on improving Queenstown Air–port lighting,
surveillance systems and radar cover – and will eventually have some of
the most modern air traffic services equipment in the world, Airways
navigation services chief Lew Jenkins told Mountain Scene last week.
Meanwhile, Paterson, CAA chief executive Graeme Harris and Airways chief executive Ed Sims have collectively written to Mountain Scene to say last week’s coverage was “alarmist” – and reassure travellers Queenstown skies are safe.
Queenstown is the country’s diciest airport – official
The Civil Aviation Authority is now admitting what jet
jockeys have been whispering for years – that Queenstown is home to this
country’s most white-knuckle airport.
“Aviation operations at Queenstown carry higher risk than those at other aerodromes
in New Zealand,” CAA spokesperson Emma Peel tells Mountain Scene.
“Terrain, runway dimensions, lighting and environmental conditions” create the high risk, she says.
A veteran pilot – who we’re calling ‘Peter’ – knows
Queenstown Airport like the back of his hand so Mountain Scene asked him
to explain why it’s so difficult.
Queenstown skies pose “a multiple high-risk environment”, Peter says, ticking off the main dangers:
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Narrow runway – standard width is 45 metres, the resort runway is 30m
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Short runway – Queenstown’s “available landing distance” is 1777m, excluding what’s known as runway end safety areas, compared with Dunedin’s 1900m and Invercargill’s 2200m. With a wet runway and five-knot swirling tailwind – quite common here, Peter says – Airbus and Boeing manuals require A320 and B737 jets at 2000kgs below maximum weight to have landing distances of 1840m and 1690m respectively
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The shorter runway also means “significant risk” if engine failure aborts a takeoff, Peter says – inadequate overrun areas mean the jet may plummet into the Shotover River at one end or over the highway into houses at the other
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Frequent turbulence, cross winds and marginal weather also force pilots to “very quickly assess and correct for conditions to make a safe landing”, he says.
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Finally, there’s that ring of mountains at close quarters all round the Wakatipu Basin.
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