Pilot error cause of air tradegy

Friday, 24 August 2007 12:06

Pilot error has been regarded as the major cause of the Lockhart River air crash more than two years ago, State Coroner Michael Barnes has found.

Captain Brett Hotchin, 40, was the pilot in the Metroliner which slammed into a mountain 11km outside Lockhart River on May 7, 2005, killing all 13 passengers and two crew aboard.

Mr Barnes, who is on Thursday Island for the next three weeks to complete the Malu Sara inquest, handed down his findings last Friday in Brisbane.

The Coroner found the pilot had been flying too fast at the time of the crash.

He also found Transair, which is now in liquidation, had a role in the tragedy, saying the company had failed to police its review systems.

However, the findings have attracted criticism from the families of those who died in the crash.

Shane Urquhart, whose daughter Sally died in the crash, said CASA (Civil Aviation Safety Authority) should have been apportioned blame.

Mr Urquhart told the Courier-Mail CASA had got away “scot-free” and that the inquest outcome was “a whole waste of time for all of us.”

The newspaper quoted Kerry Sonter, whose husband Arden in the crash, as saying the report was a white-wash.

The Coroner made four recommendations, including CASA look at introducing practices to ensure the efficiency of training and checking organisations for airlines.

He also suggested the Federal Government address the “animosity: between CASA and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) which he found was obstructing “a collaborative focus on air safety”.

“I recommend the Federal Minister for Transport consider engaging an external consultant to assess whether high-level intervention is warranted.”

Mr Barnes said he was aware some of the families wanted to make “scape goats” of Transair or CASA, but he was reluctant to do so.

“I find CASA could have done more to insist Transair improved certain aspects of its operations, but I do not believe that the evidence supports a finding that they could reasonably have stopped it operating or prevented the crash.”

 

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