A chartered Airbus with a full load of 120 asylum-seekers and Australian officials had to abort its take-off from the Cocos Islands on Sunday night because its rear stairs were trailing along the tarmac.
Customs officials and customers at the nearby Cocos Island Club had to rush to the airfield apron, climb over the perimeter fence and run towards the plane waving their arms to alert the pilot to the problem.
When the plane stopped, an airfield manager used a radio to contact the pilot.
Australian electronics businessman Jack O’Donnell, who was at the Cocos Club, said people were shocked to see the plane trailing the rear stairs as it taxied on to the tarmac.
The trailing stairs caused a shower of sparks as the plane picked up speed.
Mr O’Donnell told The Australian last night that the “trailing stairs caused a hell of a racket and were sending out sparks”.
“There were some Customs officers nearby and they pelted towards the fence as we all started to run towards the airfield,” he said. “One of the Customs blokes got over the fence first and ran up waving his arms to stop the plane.
“It was clear the pilot and others at different parts of the airfield couldn’t see the stairs at the rear.”
When the pilot was informed, the rear door was opened and the stairs withdrawn into their separate hatch.
The pilot then recommenced the take-off.
A spokesman for the Air Transport Safety Bureau said last night there had been no report received of the incident but it did expect one within the 72-hour reporting period.
A Department of Immigration spokesman said the federal government was concerned at the incident and had called for a full report.
Source: The Australian
By: slipperysam - 23rd May 2010 at 03:49
More on that incident:
http://australianaviation.com.au/skytraders-a319-in-cocos-island-stair-incident/
The plane in question was an A319 owned by Skytraders.
Apparently it was not on the runway, but had just taxiied out.
Indicators in the cockpit said the stairs were retracted.
By: Arabella-Cox - 23rd May 2010 at 00:58
Some BAC 1-11s preceded by a 727: Airlines remembered.
By: Cking - 22nd May 2010 at 23:51
I never worked the 727 but I did work the 1-11 (Uhhhhh) The airline I worked for had a large fleet of them. None with the D B Cooper vane but we did look after a few Saudi exec 1-11’s. They all had the vane fitted, As I said DB Cooper has passed into aviation ledgend!
Rgds Cking
By: Arabella-Cox - 22nd May 2010 at 23:29
D B Cooper. It is simply a piece of metal which is blown into a horizontal position by the airflow. Nobody really knows if that was his real name and what happened to him. You can read it on Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D_B_Cooper
By: Cking - 22nd May 2010 at 23:22
Yes the 320 is/was offered with a front airstair almost exactly like that.
You’re a 727 man, tell us about the aerodynamic lock fitted to the 727 after the famous hijack. I can’t remember the name given to it, but it has passed into aviation folk law;)
Rgds Cking
By: Arabella-Cox - 22nd May 2010 at 23:07
It probably had a retractable airstair something like this :
By: Cking - 22nd May 2010 at 22:47
It was an A727! :diablo:
Oh THAT model Airbus!!!!!
Seriously I know that the 737 was offered with a rear airstair I thought that an Airbus might have had one too.
Rgds Cking
By: Arabella-Cox - 22nd May 2010 at 18:59
REAR airstairs on an Airbus??????? What model Airbus were they using?
Rgds Cking
It was an A727! :diablo:
By: Bristol_Rob - 22nd May 2010 at 17:12
Why Didn’t Ground crew Alert the Captain before Allowing the Plane to Leave??
:confused:
By: Cking - 19th May 2010 at 20:33
REAR airstairs on an Airbus??????? What model Airbus were they using?
Rgds Cking
By: airbusfanalways - 18th May 2010 at 18:02
Wow. Not something you see or hear about every day.
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May 18, 2010 at 4:52 am