Lack of focus led to unlit runway

AN AIR traffic controller forgot to light the runway for a plane taking off from Cairns Airport but the aircraft’s crew were too busy to notice until they were in the air.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau released findings yesterday from its investigation into an incident involving a Royal Flying Doctor Service plane that left the airport on the night of March 11, bound for Townsville.

An emergency services helicopter left Cairns with its crew using night vision goggles, shortly after midnight.

ATSB investigators reported that the Cairns duty air traffic controller did not activate the runway lights for the helicopter, as it may have interfered with the crew’s night vision gear.

Eight minutes later, an RFDS Beech B200 plane, with five people on board – including a patient – was granted clearance to take off from the airport for Townsville.

The pilot asked the air traffic controller if the runway lights had gone out, as the aircraft became airborne.

“The controller subsequently checked his INTAS (Integrated Tower Automation Suite) display and reported that the lights had not been activated,” the investigators said.

The investigation found that the air traffic controller inadvertently did not activate the runway lighting controls prior to the RFDS plane entering the runway for takeoff.

“The increased cockpit workload combined with the reflected and environmental lighting resulted in the pilot of (the plane) being unaware that runway lights were not on before commencing takeoff,” they reported.

The last incident where aircraft departed an Australian airport without runway lights being activated occurred on August 28, 2016, involving a passenger plane that took off from Tamworth Airport.