Pilot accused of texting while landing as alarms sounded in cockpit

Shanghai News.Net
Saturday 12th June, 2010

Jetstar, an Australian no-frills airline, has come under renewed scrutiny following an aborted landing due to the landing gear not being properly deployed and allegations that one of the pilots was writing a text message on his phone at the time.

The A321-200 was on final approach to Singapore’s international airport on May 27th when an alarm sounded in the cockpit, warning the pilots that the plane was within 122 meters of the ground with their landing gear housed.

The pilots aborted the landing and put the plane safely on the ground at Changi Airport on the second attempt, but safety investigators in Australia are concerned by allegations one of the pilots was writing a text message at the time of the incident.

The Sydney Morning Herald, an Australian newspaper, did not reveal the source of such allegations Friday and reported that neither Jetstar nor the Australian Transport Safety Bureau would comment on the accusation.

An official with the bureau simply stated that the plane was “lower than they would have liked”.

Jetstar has had a near-miss in the past during a landing.

Earlier in March of this year a report by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau found that Jetstar pilots had become confused by cockpit alarms while trying to land in heavy fog and allowed the plane to come within 11 meters of the ground.

The plane was coming in to land on July 21st when they aborted the landing due to fog, but the pilots did not move the thrust lever to the proper amount for an ascent, which confused the autopilot as the plane was still programmed to land.

As alarms sounded, they disengaged the autopilot, but by then the plane was just 11 meters from the tarmac and travelling at 305 km/h in heavy fog.

The investigation also found that Jetstar had failed to report the incident properly.

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