Latest news with #ATSB
7NEWS
14 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Virgin Australia asks passengers to keep power banks in sight after suspected midair battery fire
Virgin Australia has urged passengers to keep power banks in sight during flights after a suspected midair lithium battery fire in an overhead locker. On Monday, a fire broke out on flight VA1528 from Sydney to Hobart as the plane began to land. Passengers reported smelling smoke, and when cabin crew opened the overhead compartment, they found a lithium battery on fire. The crew extinguished the fire before landing, and the bag containing the battery was removed once the plane was on the ground. No injuries were reported, and passengers disembarked safely after the aircraft landed at Hobart Airport. The airline believes the fire was caused by a power bank in a passenger's bag. A Virgin Australia spokesperson said an investigation began immediately. 'We have immediately initiated an investigation into the cause of a small fire originating from a passenger's carry-on luggage in an overhead locker during descent on flight VA1528 on Monday (21 July),' the spokesperson said. 'This investigation, conducted with the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) and Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) is ongoing. 'Any relevant findings from this investigation may inform permanent changes to our battery policy to ensure the safety of our guests and team members.' Following the incident, the airline is reviewing its policy on passengers having and using power banks on board flights. Passengers have been asked to keep power banks within sight and easily accessible throughout the flight, and are also encouraged not to use them to charge devices while on board. Under the airline's existing policy, all guests must carry power banks in the cabin. Peter Carter, an aviation lawyer and director of Carter Capner Law, said airlines need to take stronger steps to protect passenger safety. 'When it comes to serious on board incidents ultimately the airline is responsible for any resulting injuries, including smoke inhalation,' he said. 'Perhaps the airlines need to ask more questions and do more when it comes to on board safety. 'Given this could have erupted into a dangerous blaze very quickly, aviation authorities should be putting this incident under the microscope. 'While this is a pretty rare circumstance I have no doubt ATSB and CASA will turn their attention to this incident and we should trust their assessment on what should happen going forward.' Power banks are portable battery chargers designed to power devices on-the-go. They use rechargeable lithium-ion or lithium-polymer batteries that are highly flammable, can explode or vent toxic gas, said the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
Sky News AU
a day ago
- General
- Sky News AU
Queensland flight examiner's last words to wife just hours before fatal plane crash claimed his life revealed
The longtime wife of a man who died following a tragic plane crash over the weekend has revealed the last words he spoke to her just hours before take-off. Flight examiner and war veteran Robert 'Bob' Molony was one of two men onboard an Aero Logistics aircraft which crashed west of Toowoomba, Queensland on Sunday afternoon. Emergency responders rushed to scene at Devon Park near Oakley at about 3.10pm following reports of a crash, with police saying in a statement the two male occupants of the aircraft were declared dead at the scene. Pilot Wayne Saunders has been identified as the other man onboard the 35-year-old French made twin turboprop Reims Cessna F406 that took off from Warwick Airport. The Courier Mail reports Stephanie Molony, who had been married to Mr Molony for nearly three decades, has said her husband will leave a legacy of having been 'one of the most experienced pilots around'. 'I'm so proud of him and the person he was for the industry, that they've now got people like him to aspire to be,' she said. Ms Molony also revealed she and the 78-year-old had shopped for fruit trees at a Bunnings on Sunday morning before her husband's flight that afternoon. She said the flight examiner had yelled to her 'I'll be home at 4pm to plant those trees' as he walked out the door. 'There was nothing extra about it, just as simple as that,' she said. 'It got to 4.30pm and I tried ringing his mobile and it went to message bank. Ms Molony drove to the airport the plane had departed from and discovered her husband's parked car, before police then arrived to deliver the news, according to the masthead. It comes after the chief executive of Aero Logistics – an Archerfield-based aircraft charter and rental service – described Sunday's incident as 'tragedy'. 'This is a terrible tragedy for the two people on-board the aircraft and their families, friends and workmates,' chief executive Ben Smee said on Monday. 'This is a devastating loss for everyone who knew them. 'We have offered our support and assistance to their families as they come to terms with the situation. We have also made counselling services available for our staff.' An investigation into determining the cause of the crash could take up to six weeks, according to the Australian Transport and Safety Bureau (ATSB). Mr Molony, originally from Brisbane, was a former Royal Australian Air Force pilot who was deployed to South Vietnam as a Canberra bomber navigator, having amassed more than 14,000 flight hours over his career. The ATSB has said its investigation involves a team of investigators from Brisbane and Cairns. 'Investigators will conduct a range of evidence-gathering activities, including site and wreckage examination, and recovery of any aircraft components for further examination at the ATSB's technical facilities in Canberra,' a statement said. 'Investigators will also seek to interview involved parties, and collect relevant recorded information including flight tracking data, as well as pilot and aircraft maintenance records, and weather information."
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Qantas plane makes sudden landing
A Qantas plane with more than 60 passengers on board has been forced to make a priority landing in western Victoria due to a 'technical issue'. The QF2079 flight was scheduled for 10.40am on Tuesday, travelling from Mildura to Melbourne, when the aircraft had to make a sudden landing with 63 passengers on board. A Qantas spokesman said 'one of our (aircraft) had to return to Mildura shortly after takeoff on Tuesday due to a technical issue'. 'Our pilots are highly trained to handle situations like this, and the flight has since landed safely in Mildura,' a Qantas statement read. 'We appreciate this would have been an unsettling experience for customers and thank them for their understanding.' Police were called to Mildura Airport just after 11am following reports of an 'aircraft incident'. 'Police along with other emergency services were called to an airport in Mildura following reports of an aircraft incident just after 11am, where it appears there was an issue with the aircraft,' police told NewsWire. 'The plane landed safely, pilot and passengers weren't injured.' Ambulance Victoria also confirmed crews were called to the scene about 11am. 'No emergency treatment or transport was provided,' they said. An Australian Transport Safety Bureau spokesman told NewsWire the ATSB was aware of the incident. 'The ATSB has been notified of a Dash 8 passenger airliner return to Mildura this morning due to a technical issue, and is gathering further information prior to making an investigation decision,' the spokesman said. More to come
The Guardian
2 days ago
- The Guardian
Fire in overhead locker on Virgin Australia flight believed to be caused by lithium battery in power bank
A fire that broke out on a Virgin Australia flight from Sydney to Hobart is believed to have been caused by a power bank in a passenger's carry-on luggage, prompting the airline to consider changes to its battery policy. The Virgin flight VA1528 was making its descent into Hobart on Monday when the fire started in an overhead locker, a spokesperson for the airline said. Video taken on board, reported by the online news outlet Tasmanian Pulse, showed a flight attendant using a fire extinguisher on a smoking bag as passengers attempted to assist with their water bottles. The Virgin spokesperson said cabin crew extinguished the fire before the plane landed and firefighters on the ground removed a bag from the locker. 'Safety is always our highest priority,' they said. 'We appreciate the swift and professional response of our flight and cabin crew, as well as the support of Airservices Australia firefighters.' No flight crew or passengers were injured. Hobart Airport chief operating officer Matt Cocker said all passengers safely disembarked the aircraft, with one person assessed by paramedics for suspected smoke inhalation. Virgin is investigating the incident with regulators the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) and Civil Aviation Safety Authority (Casa). Spare lithium batteries including power banks are typically only permitted to be brought on planes in carry-on baggage because of the fire risk. Virgin has said the investigation could result in other changes to its battery policy 'to ensure the safety of our guests and team members'. The average Australian passenger travels with at least 4 rechargeable lithium battery devices, Casa has said. The agency previously issued a warning about flying with battery-powered devices urging passengers to pack them safely. Battery-powered devices such as laptops and cameras can be placed in checked luggage, as long as they are completely switched off, but spare batteries and power banks should always be placed in carry-on baggage only, Casa said. The agency said batteries and power banks could short circuit, overheat and catch fire during a flight and that lithium-ion battery fires could be very difficult to extinguish. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) saw a 92% increase in reported incidents involving lithium-ion batteries in 2022 compared to 2020, Casa said. In January, all 169 passengers and seven crew members were evacuated from an Air Busan Airbus on the tarmac in South Korea after it caught on fire before taking off. Investigators reportedly believed the fire, which destroyed the plane, was caused by faulty power bank. Several airlines have tightened their rules for flying with lithium batteries because of the risk of fires including Singapore Airlines, which has banned passengers from using power banks during flights.
ABC News
3 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Pilots killed in Oakey plane crash were carrying out mandatory training, ATSB says
Two men killed in a plane crash in Queensland on Sunday afternoon are believed to have been conducting a mandatory pilot proficiency check moments before their aircraft hit the ground. Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigators believe the plane, which took off south of Toowoomba at Warwick, was attempting an instrument landing system (ILS) approach to Oakey Army Aviation Centre at the Swartz Barracks when the crash occurred at Oakey at about 3pm. The aircraft burst into flames, killing both men instantly. Aviation specialist service Aero Logistics confirmed that one of its pilots was killed in the crash. Chief executive Ben Smee said the pilot had been working with an external flight examiner. "This is a terrible tragedy for the two people onboard the aircraft and their families, friends and workmates," he said in a statement. Today ATSB investigators have been scouring through the wreckage and investigating the history of the aircraft and the two men on board. "We still don't have access to all maintenance records — they're part of what we're routinely get over the course of the next couple of days," ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said. The Reims-Cessna F406 Caravan, a twin turbo-prop 12-seater aircraft built in France in 1990, had been in Australia for 13 years, according to the ATSB. In 2014 the ATSB assessed the aircraft after one of its pilots suffered hypoxia during a flight. That investigation concluded there had been an error with the plane's oxygen system when it was above 10,000 feet and the issue was rectified. Mr Mitchell confirmed that the fault found in 2014 was "unlikely to be associated with what occurred" during Sunday's crash. Recent flight-log data showed the aircraft had made numerous flights in the same area and around Emerald in central Queensland in the days leading up to the crash. Mr Mitchell said flight data could play a key role in determining the cause of the crash. "A small aircraft like this is quite likely to have some sort of recording devices … what state they're going to be in is something that will determine later on," he said. "There are other recording devices, whether that be mobile phones, iPads, that we can often recover from site, and anything that's been recorded, whether that be radar traffic, and radio traffic." Mr Mitchell could not confirm whether a "mayday" call had been made prior to the crash. "[The plane] left Warwick about 40 minutes prior to the accident," he said. "There is some of that circling that was done around the Oakey [area], but whether Oakey [Swartz Barracks] was an intended destination or simply part of the training and part of the proficiency check for the pilot we're yet to clarify." The Oakey Army Aviation Centre has an ILS – a ground-based navigation system – installed to allow aircraft to land in any weather. An Australian Defence Force spokesperson said flying over a restricted area must be avoided unless in an emergency, according to minutes from the Brisbane Airport Commmunity Airspace Advisory Board Meeting in February. The meeting minutes also advise that civilian aircraft may make requests to air traffic control in restricted Defence areas, including military bases, for emergencies only. ATSB preliminary reports are likely to take between six and eight weeks to complete, according to Mr Mitchell. "A preliminary report is very much an assessment of the facts as we know them — quite often that will be a very good indication of the sequence of events that occurred," he said. "We will look at the history of the aircraft, what is it normally being used for and what potentially differed yesterday to have such a tragic outcome that two families are obviously grieving for today and more broadly an aviation community."
