‘TAXIING’ CALL NOT HEARD BY PILOT
THE (ATSB CHOPPER CRASH) INVESTIGATION WILL LOOK CLOSELY AT THE ISSUES BOTH FACED IN SEEING THE OTHER HELICOPTER ATSB CHIEF COMMISSIONER ANGUS MITCHELL
THE surviving pilot of the fatal Broadwater helicopter collision does not recall hearing a “taxiing” call from the other pilot, an initial investigation has found.
But the Australian Transport Safety Bureau’s (ATSB) preliminary report release on Tuesday morning also found that did not mean it was not made.
It may never be known if the “taxiing” call was made moments before the two helicopters collided, killing four.
The ATSB preliminary report contained a number of previously unknown bombshells shedding new light on what happened in the lead up to the crash at 2pm on January 2, including potential causes.
The crash between two Sea World Helicopter scenic flight choppers killed pilot Ashley Jenkinson, Sydney woman Vanessa Tadros and British couple Ron and Diane Hughes and seriously injured six.
The injured included Geelong woman Winnie de Silva and her nine-year-old son Leon, Ms Tadros’ 10-year-old son Nicholas and pilot Michael James.
Findings included that landing pilot Michael James does not remember hearing a “taxiing” call from Mr Jenkinson saying that he was taking off. However, the report adds that does not mean the call was not made.
Other factors included that the landing helicopter’s transponder was not working correctly – meaning it was not transmitting secondary surveillance radar responses that were detected by radar surveillance equipment for the accident flight or previous flights.
The report said the helicopter operator, Sea World Helicopters, was aware the transponder was not working prior to the crash.
Helicopters in controlled airspace must have a working transponder.
However, the transponder is not required in uncontrolled airspace like the airspace over the Broadwater.
ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said it was not clear if they would be able to determine if the taxiing call was made.
“It will depend on what we can get and the evidence that we can get not only from recordings equally from witnesses. But there are some things that we may be not be able to completely determine,” he said.
In relation to the transponder, Mr Mitchell said: “We are still yet to determine all the functionality of particular systems on board those helicopters and indeed other helicopters operated by the same operator.”
He reiterated the transponder was only required in controlled airspace.
Other findings from the report included:
■ the collision occurred as one chopper (XH9) was landing and the other (XKQ) was taking off;
■ the chopper landing did not recall hearing the chopper taking off make a ‘taxiing’ call;
■ this did not mean a call was not made;
■ the landing chopper saw the other chopper preparing to take off and thought the other chopper would pass behind him;
■ the pilot of the landing helicopter did not see the other chopper leave the helipad;
■ Sea World Helicopters knew about a problem with the transponder on the landing helicopter. It was not transmitting secondary surveillance radar responses that were detected by radar for the accident or previous flights;
■ because of the transponder problem the aircraft was not able to be used in a controlled airspace;
■ the choppers were about 130 feet above ground and
about 23 seconds into XKQ’s flight;
■ the choppers were operating from two helipads about 220 metres apart; and
■ the five-minute flights were to follow the same counter clockwise orbit.
Mr Mitchell said the findings were based on factual information from interviews with survivors, witnesses, analysis of video footage and images taken by passengers, onlookers and nearby CCTV.
Mr Mitchell said that they found the leaving helicopter did not hear the other chopper’s ‘taxiing’ call. “This does not necessarily mean that a taxi call was not made, and the ATSB investigation will undertake a detailed analysis of the nature of the radio calls made,” he said.
Mr Mitchell said because other passengers saw the other choppers it did not mean the pilots did.
“The investigation will look closely at the issues both faced in seeing the other helicopter,” he said.
“We have already generated a 3D model of the view from the pilot’s seat from an
exemplar EC130 helicopter which we will use as a part of a detailed visibility study to help the investigation determine the impediments both pilots faced in sighting the other helicopter.”
He said that some of the calls made by the helicopters were picked up by Southport Airport.
However, it is common for the airport not to pick up calls made at low altitude due to distance and tall buildings.
The report also detailed that Sea World Helicopters had already indicated they would be implementing new safety features including:
high visibility paint on rotor blades;
additional strobe lighting on helicopters;
introduction of helipad controllers who can provide traffic advice to pilots; and
Use of live radar displayed on an iPad in the cockpit.
Mr Mitchell said the ATSB was still finalising the report which had been classed as a “systemic investigation”.
The report is not expected to be released until late 2024.