Hunt to find radio prankster responsible for fake calls to pilot trying to land at Tyabb
In a bizarre stunt a hoaxer used various means to contact a pilot making a night approach to an airfield in Melbourne’s southeast. The Peninsula Aero Club has revealed details of the “stupid and dangerous” hoax, while warning pilots to be vigilant.
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A bizarre series of hoax radio calls has been made to a pilot trying to land at Tyabb Airport.
The “concerning interference” happened while a Beechworth aircraft was approaching the landing strip.
According to the Peninsula Aero Club the pilot was contacted three times while on the downward leg of his circuit as he prepared to land at 8.55pm on June 5 and as he approached the runway a loud whistle was blown over the airways.
Club president Jack Vevers said the pilot’s call sign was used to attract his attention.
“The caller didn’t say anything else, which was disconcerting for the pilot,” Mr Vevers said.
“He didn’t know if it was another aircraft trying to contact him to arrange a change to the landing or warn him of an upcoming danger.”
Mr Vevers said the whistle that followed was particularly dangerous.
“There is a lot going on in the cockpit when you’re coming in to land. Pilots already have a number of alarms and instrument signals to listen for and focus on.”
The experienced pilot landed safely without injuring himself or his passenger.
The attack was unusual, Mr Vevers said.
“This wasn’t an accident or mistake. Someone used the airport frequency and pilot’s call sign more than once.”
The Club posted about the incident on its Facebook page where it was slammed as “absolutely stupid and dangerous”.
“You treat the CTAF information as gospel and for an inexperienced pilot to be receiving hoax information it could turn out deadly,” Anthony Jug Ireson posted.
A suggestion the culprit was a member of the “anti-airport” lobby
was dismissed as unlikely by Mr Vevers.
“I certainly wouldn’t say that,” he said.
Tyabb uses a common traffic advisory frequency – CTAF – when there is no control tower at the airport.
The radio frequency allows pilots to communicate, locate themselves and what they intend to do.
Mr Vevers said Tyabb’s frequency had a 5 nautical mile (10km) range and details were clearly sign posted around the airport.
He said pilot call signs were used regularly during a flight and could be heard using a scanner.
“The thinking is that the calls were made by someone who had line of sight of the airport, but we don’t know that for certain,” Mr Vevers said.
Tyabb Airport’s safety officer is preparing a report for the Australian Broadcasting Commission and will also alert the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.
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PAC has asked its members to report any unusual broadcasts or laser or search light strikes.
An Australian Radio Operators licence is required to transmit on the airport’s radio frequency and illegal transmissions are a federal offence, with penalties up to 20 years behind bars.
In October 2016 a series of hoax calls were made ordering passenger planes to abort landing just moments before touchdown at Melbourne’s Tullamarine airport.
A former baggage handler Paul Sant escaped jail after pleading guilty to making fake mayday calls over an airline radio transmitter and instructing planes to fly dangerously close to each other.