Student pilots under scrutiny after ‘miss’

Press, 18 March 1982, Page 3

Student pilots under scrutiny after ‘miss’

PA Wellington Student pilots will come under stricter surveillance at Wellington Airport after an incident where an Air New Zealand Friendship had to brake heavily and swerve to avoid a small plane. It happened earlier this month when the Friendship, with 28 passengers aboard was accelerating on the airport runway for take-off on a flight to Gisborne.

It was forced to brake sharply, swerve, and abandon its take-off when a small Grumman AAS Traveller plane moved on to the runway into its path. Civil Aviation officials immediately began an inquiry into the near-miss. They had reports from the pilots involved and control tower staff and studied a transcript of tape-recorded conversations with the two planes.

The Director of Civil Aviation, Captain E. T. Kippenberger, said yesterday that the student pilot of the small plane appeared to have been at fault. "I have had a look at the report and it appears to be a case where a student does

not properly listen to instructions," Captain Kippenberger said. “In the circumstances, the Friendship pilot did a very good job indeed.” The student pilot had been instructed by the control tower to line-up in preparation for take-off after the Friendship had passed by. Captain Kippenberger said the student pilot had broken Civil Aviation Regulations, but would not be prosecuted.

This is because the student pilot could probably have got some sympathy from the court if he had pleaded he thought he was given a clearance to taxi on to the runway. “If it had been a senior pilot involved, we would have been on to him more heavily,” Captain Kippenberger said. Instead of taking legal action, the Civil Aviation Divisions decided that it could happen again, and so clearance procedures for student pilots at the airport will be changed. They will now be unable to line-up behind other planes when approaching the runway for take-off. The Well-

ington Aero Club will now have to tell the control tower when a student pilot is preparing to fly solo and air traffic controllers would only allow the student to approach the runway when the area was clear of other planes.

The clearance limitations will apply only at Wellington Airport because it is a single runway airport. Student pilots could use an adjacent grass runway at Christchurch and in Auckland.