Aviation
Thorough Investigation Into Madang Air Crash
But aviation authorities want K50,000 to do this
Papua New Guinea Civil Aviation Authority needs more than K50,000 to carry out a thorough investigation into a light air plane crash in Madang Province, which killed all eight people onboard on December 14.
Among those killed were the Deputy Governor of Madang, Joe Tola, former Madang Governor Stahl Musa, senior provincial government officers and the pilot.
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The government party had officiated at the opening of an airstrip at Guhu in the mountains of Finistere Range south of Madang town. Eye witnesses said the Norman Britten Islander owned by Island Airways in Madang was taxing for take-off from the airstrip but over-ran the runway and crashed over the mountain side killing all those onboard.
Civil Aviation officials were not aware of the missing plane until the next day when the alarm was raised. A councillor from the crash site area walked all night to the coast to a government high school and contacted Madang Governor James Yali by radio the next morning.
Villagers recovered the bodies of the victims and a rescue helicopter airlifted them to Madang by noon that day. The tragedy dampened the festive Christmas and New Year celebrations in the province and underlined the hazards of air travel in a country that relies heavily on air transport.
A Civil Aviation spokesperson in Madang said they were not aware of the missing plane because the pilot did not contact them before take-off.
He said earlier in the day, the pilot had radioed in from the airstrip informing them that the flight was going to be delayed due to bad weather in the area. Madang had experienced heavy rain and strong winds during that day.
He said the owner of Island Airways then radioed the pilot and advised him to remain overnight in the mountains.
However, for some reason the party decided to fly out but did not inform authorities at Madang nor the Nadzab Airport in Lae before take-off.
A two-man investigation team visited the site last month and said the wreckage was situated in an inhospitable terrain, making investigations at the site almost impossible. The wreckage would need to be moved to a suitable location for detailed examination.
The cost of this operation will include:
- K31,906.42 to lift the wreckage from the accident site to Madang;
- Estimated cost for a helicopter to be chartered would be K14,000;
- Estimated cost of fixed wing charter would be K2000; and
- Engineering costs on the ground would be K3000.
The wreckage is located on the side of a very steep valley wall making it difficult to gain access to the inside of the wreckage.
Some of the unresolved issues include:
- Eyewitnesses reports which said the engines did not sound normal during take-off which makes the recovery of the aircraft imperative.
- There were ground marks indicating that brakes were applied, at least partially, during the take-off run.
- The wing flaps on first inspection appeared to be retracted.
- The possibility that the aircraft stalled after becoming airborne.
Papua New Guinea’s Minister for Transport and Civil Aviation Don Polye has given his support behind the investigation saying he would do everything possible to find out the cause of the crash.
Polye said he wanted to know who was at fault. “We are looking at the passengers onboard, if they were exerting any pressure on the pilot.
“I want to know if the airstrip was cleared for planes to land and if an ‘aerodrome safety and completion certificate’ was issued,” he said.
