Chartair – Aviation Historical Society of Australia

DerekB06/03/202303/06/2023

Aviation Heritage Vol. 54 No. 1 (March 2023) Contents Listing

The latest quarterly edition (March 2023) of the AHSA journal – Aviation Heritage – has recently been posted to members. The full contents are...

1977 Piper PA-28R-200 VH-CUI operated by Chieftain Aviation Pty Ltd crashed 55km NW of Lismore, NSW on 13 November 1977. The aircraft first struck trees on a ridge while on a westerly heading in substantially level flight. Portion of the right wing was torn off the aircraft, apparently out of control, crashed into the thickly timbered valley immediately west of the ridge. There were 4 fatalities. Detailed examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of any defect or malfunction which might have contributed to the accident. Sources: ATSB investigation report aair197701362; aviation-safety.net website

2007 Former CASA chairman Dick Smith threatened to sue air traffic control authorities unless they reversed a decision to close down 27 Flightwatch transmitters he said were essential to air safety. The transmitters provided weather and safety information to pilots. Mr Smith said their closure by Airservices Australia would be ‘an intolerable risk to public safety and a clear contravention of government policy’. The next day, Transport Minister Mark Vaile ordered Airservices Australia not to proceed with plans to shut down the Flightwatch transmitters. Source: Steve Creedy, ‘Smith ready to sue air agency’, The Australian, 13 November 2007, p. 9. via aph.gov.au website

2008 Qantas Airbus A330-300 flight 129 from Sydney to Shanghai was forced to turn around and return after its weather radar system became inoperative on 13 November 2008. Source: Paul Bibby, “Radar failure forces Qantas jet to turn back”, Sydney Morning Herald, 14 November 2008, p. 5. via aph.gov.au website