Fri, Jul 07, 2006
Owner Disputes Ruling That Frost Brought Plane Down
There's controversy in the air over
New Zealand... after that country's Transportation Accident
Investigation Commission issued its finding in the downing of an
Air Fiordland Cessna 206 on take-off from the Queenstown Aerodrome
last October.
The pilot and five passengers all walked away from the crash...
when the 206 (file photo of type, right) ran into what the TAIC
calls control difficulties. The left wing struck the runway and the
aircraft went down.
The TAIC report quotes the pilot, who says he cleaned the wings
and control surfaces of frost before takeoff. But the commission
says he didn't do a good enough job... and when he encountered wake
turbulence on take-off, he was unable to maintain control of the
206.
Here's where the controversy comes in. Fiordland Air CEO Russell
Baker says the Cessna took off with absolutely clean wings... and
only after the airport fire department sprayed water on the
wreckage to keep a fire from starting did the wings dirty up
again.
"I have no doubt that he properly cleaned the wing before
leaving -- using the same procedures and same cleaning broom as the
pilot of the first aircraft which did not experience any problems,"
Baker told New Zealand's NZPA.
Baker added this report is all too similar to one involving a
helicopter that crashed some time ago. In that case, the TAIC cited
the work of a pair of mechanics as the probable cause. Turns out
they were wrong.
Russell says the similarities between the Air Fiordland crash
and the helo mishap are... disturbing.
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