Safety Bureau investigation launched after two planes use one runway with no air traffic controller
A Qantas flight and Jetstar flight had a near miss at Darwin Airport this week while no air traffic controller was on duty, prompting a Transport Safety Bureau investigation.
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A close call between two planes at Darwin Airport on Wednesday has prompted an investigation by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau.
At 12.17am, a Qantas Boeing 737 was taking off while a Jetstar Airbus A320 was coming in to land from opposite ends of the same runway.
The air traffic control tower was closed at the time, and the airport was operating with procedures that require pilots to announce their position and intentions over the radio.
A Boeing 737 generally needs about 2500 to 3000m to takeoff, and Airbus A320 need between 1500 to 2000 to land.
The length of the Darwin airport tarmac is 3354m.
As part of the investigation, the Safety Bureau will interview those involved, examine flight data, review relevant procedures and collect other evidence with the aim to determine how much co-ordination there was between the two aircraft.
A final report will be released at the end of the investigation.
The Qantas flight QF839 was heading to Melbourne, and the Jetstar flight JQ672 was arriving in Darwin from Sydney.
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