Starlifter captain’s seven longest hours

Press, 1 November 1979, Page 1

Starlifter captain’s seven longest hours

“Not an experience t would recommend,” was how Captain Robert E. Colley described his skilful crash-landing of a crippled United States Air Force Cl4l Starlifter at Christchurch Airport early yesterday. The big jet transport, trailing mangled landing gear and critically short of fuel, nosed through the darkness above the Waimakariri River to touch down safely in a shower of sparks at 2.8 a.m.

“I felt confident we could get down safely. In the end the landing was easier than I thought, more like a practice than the real thing,” said Captain Colley, aged 30, who looked weary but happy at a press conference yesterday.

Even when the starboard outer engine and wing tip sank and struck the runway tarmac, Captain Colley managed to hold the Starlifter in a straight line.

ii me wing tip had dug in the aircraft could have cartwheeled, he said yesterday.

About 50 emergency vehicles were on hand for the crash-landing, described as the most serious incident at the airport since World War 11. Throughout the 'ong flight from McMurdo Sound, where the Starlifter’s starboard main landing gear had been almost torn away on takeoff, Captain Colley and his crew had pored over their fuel calculations.

“The fuel position was critical, mainly because of the drag caused by the trailing gear.” he said.

“We had no doubt that we could make a landfall in New Zealand, but when we turned for Christchurch . 480 km out we were committed. We could not have reached any other field,” said Captain Colley. When the Starlifter landed its tanks held only

3040 kg (70001 b of fuel—barely enough for an hour's flying time. Captain Colley, a Military Airlift Command pilot who has flown Cl4ls for seven years, said that the take-off from Williamsfield at McMurdo Sound had seemed normal “We had a normal climb-out. and 1 called for gear up,” said Captain Colley.

“A scan showed that the gear was not working properly, and then the McMurdo tower said that they thought they had seen wheels departing the aircraft.” Captain Colley said that he had sent his No. 2 engineer back to check the damage through the Starlifter’s inspection window. “The gear was trailing down, but it was impossible to see how firmly it was attached. We had no idea how long it would stay on,” he said. Williamsfield has no maintenance facilities, and

so Captain Colley decided to head for Christchurch. What is usually a fivehour flight was to last almost seven hours. Captain Colley said the 11 passengers aboard the Starlifter had been told of the accident immediately after take-off.

“They were great. They did exactly as we asked, and did not panic.” he said.

As the Starhfter flew northwards. United States Air Force ground staff at Christchurch were in touch with the Lockheed Company and with other U.S.A.F. bases to determine the best way of getting the crippled aircraft down safely.

“We got tremendous assistance from the ground. The radio was never quiet for more than five minutes,” said Captain Colley. As the Starlifter descended on its final approach, a crewman, by putting his head out the

inspection window, was able to see that the damaged gear was trailing almost two metres below its normal position. Captain Colle) decided to land with the main landing gear down. “It appeared that the damaged gear would not break away as easily as we thought, but we left the left gear unpinned so that we could raise it again if the aircraft yawed, so it could flop on its belly. “Dragging the right wing tip could have caused the aircraft to cartwheel." said Captain Colley. Rescue services waited tensely as the Starlifter made its final approach with an airspeed of 112 knots and a ground speed of 90 knots, in an 11-knot crosswind.

“We saw the approach lights at 250 m about 4knt out." said Captain Colley "The right gear touched

fust and broke away after about 100 m. "The wing and No. 4 engine hit the ground and she veered slightly to the right and came to a gentle stop. "it was easier than I thought — almost a normal landing with a slightly different exit from the plane.” The nine crew and 11 passengers, some of them ■jubilant” according to firemen, quickly scrambled out on to the tarmai. Crash tenders moved in to spray water and toam on the Starlifter's engines, which an airport spokes man said were "very hot " "The Christchurch crash crews were outstanding." said Captain Colley. ’Thev were at the aircraft so fast.”

Lieutenant-Colonel Eug-

ne T. Hickman, the Miliary Airlift Command task dree commander in Christchurch, described the landing as “a magnificent piece Of airmanship.”

Colonel Hickman will fly to McMurdo Sound oday to investigate the cause of the accident. He said that the damaged Starlifter might be '■epaired at Christchurch and flown out. The cost of he damage was unknown at this stage. The Starlifter was still straddling the airport’s runway yesterday morning, and eight Air New Zealand domestic flights, four in and four out, had to be cancelled. The airport was

declared fully open at 10.34 a.m. after the Starlifter had been moved with the aid of jacks, and |Air New Zealand began to move the backlog of 550 passengers. All had been able to find seats on flights later in the day, said an Air New Zealand spokesman. In spite erf the presence of the Starlifter, three Mount Cook Airline Hawker-Siddeley flights were able to take off from the shortened runway.