Jetstar faces investigation following near miss

Australian air safety authorities are investigating reports of a near-miss involving a Jetstar flight from Christchurch to Melbourne.

A Jetstar Airbus was reported to have gone within six metres of the ground during an aborted landing in fog at Tullamarine Airport and then breached safe flying rules as it diverted to another airfield near Geelong.

The July 21 incident was not independently investigated until this month, after reports appeared in a Australian aviation industry magazine.

Jetstar did not return calls to The Press but a company spokesman was quoted in Australian media as dismissing the claims as "poppycock".

However, the spokesman added the pilot would receive extra training as a result.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau's (ATSB) deputy director of flight safety investigation, Julian Walsh, confirmed yesterday the bureau was investigating the incident.

"The report that we received initially from Jetstar didn't indicate it was a significant event. It rated it as a routine go-around," he said.

"The information given in the original report didn't give us any reason (to investigate) but these reports in the press give us cause to ask Jetstar for more information.

"While the reports (in the media) are inaccurate, we believe it's appropriate for us to have a look and establish the facts ourselves."

Walsh declined to specify which aspects of the reporting were inaccurate.

A spokesman for New Zealand's Civil Aviation Authority said although the flight originated in Christchurch, it played no part in investigating incidents in Australian airspace.

The ATSB confirmed that the investigation will include allegations made in Aviation Business magazine and later developed by Crikey, an Australian news website, which include:

The Airbus was within 6m of the runway before aborting the landing.

The pilot had the wheels down when they should have been up after aborting the landing and going into "go around" mode, which is under maximum power.

The pilot's actions could have resulted in the jet continuing to lose height and making contact with the ground.

Jetstar management had made contradictory comments about the seriousness of the incident and whether the wheels were up or down.

Crikey said a disaster was unlikely but questioned why Jetstar was able to avoid an independent investigation.

- © Fairfax NZ News