Latest news with #Beech
1News
09-05-2025
- General
- 1News
Near mid-air crash between planes sparks calls for change
A near mid-air crash at night between two planes has sparked calls for improvements to visibility measures and pilot communication, a new report outlines. The two aircraft got "dangerously close" to crashing as they made final approaches towards Ardmore Airport, south of Auckland, during a night-time flight in October 2023. The airport, which is about 5 kilometres southeast of Manurewa, is uncontrolled or unattended, meaning it operates without a control tower. In a report released today, the Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) said a twin-engine Beech Duchess flew over a single-engine Cessna 172, missing it by about 20 feet, or 6 metres The Cessna pilot initiated a "go-around" before both aircraft landed safely. "The pilot flying and the instructor on the Beech were unaware of their proximity to the Cessna in the circuit," the report said. The Beech pilot was unaware how close they were to the Cessna because it was hard to see, even though they had the required lighting. Both aircraft also flew different paths on final approach, increasing the risk of one aircraft not seeing the other, the report said. "Contributing to the different vertical profiles flown was that a local altitude restriction for Ardmore Airport was published in their operations manual and not in the Aeronautical Information Publication New Zealand (AIPNZ) available to all pilots," the report said. There were two missed chances where radio calls could have helped the pilots detect the developing risk, TAIC said. Chief investigator of accidents, Naveen Kozhuppakalam said the findings are relevant to every unattended aerodrome in New Zealand. "There are unattended aerodromes all over the country, where pilots rely on aircraft visibility, shared airspace awareness, and good communication to stay safe. When those break down, so does the last line of defence against mid-air collisions," he said. The commission has made two recommendations to the Civil Aviation Authority following the incident. These include further guidance on how to make aircraft easier to see at night and taking action to ensure all procedures applied by local aerodrome operators are recorded in the AIPNZ. "The ability to clearly see another aircraft is also a pillar of 'see and avoid' at an unattended aerodrome. This can be difficult at night with aircraft fitted with olderstyle lighting. Aircraft conspicuity at night can be improved by installing modern lighting such as light-emitting-diode (LED) lighting," the report said. TAIC has previously investigated three fatal mid-air collisions at unattended aerodromes since 2008, all involving "breakdowns in radio communication and situational awareness". "This report is essential reading for anyone flying into or managing New Zealand's busiest unattended aerodromes," Kozhuppakalam said. "Night or day, knowing where other aircraft are-and being seen-is non-negotiable."
Scoop
07-05-2025
- General
- Scoop
Near-Collision Highlights Safety Lessons For All Busy, Unattended Aerodromes
Press Release – Transport Accident Investigation Commission On 3 October 2023, a twin-engine Beech Duchess passed within 20 feet of a Cessna 172 while both were on final approach at night. The Cessna pilot initiated a go-around to avoid a potential mid-air collision. Both aircraft landed safely. A serious near-collision at Ardmore Airport has prompted the Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) to call for improvements to aircraft visibility, communication between pilots, and sharing of critical information about operations at busy unattended aerodromes across New Zealand. TAIC's report, published at 0500 today, is particularly relevant to pilots, aircraft operators, and aerodrome managers. On 3 October 2023, a twin-engine Beech Duchess passed within 20 feet of a Cessna 172 while both were on final approach at night. The Cessna pilot initiated a go-around to avoid a potential mid-air collision. Both aircraft landed safely. The Commission says the pilot of the Beech was unaware how close they were to the Cessna, which was hard to see, despite meeting rules for lighting at night. The two aircraft were following different altitude profiles, one of which was only published in the local operations manual, not in the Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP), on which most pilots rely. And missed radio calls meant a lost opportunity to avoid the close call. TAIC's Chief Investigator of Accidents, Naveen Kozhuppakalam, says the TAIC final report is relevant to every unattended aerodrome in New Zealand. 'There are unattended aerodromes all over the country, where pilots rely on aircraft visibility, shared airspace awareness, and good communication to stay safe. When those break down, so does the last line of defence against mid-air collisions,' said Mr Kozhuppakalam. TAIC has made two formal recommendations to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), calling for it to issue guidance on how to make aircraft easier to see at night—particularly using modern lighting like LEDs, and to require that aerodrome procedures are up to date and available to every pilot via the AIP. TAIC has previously investigated three fatal mid-air collisions at unattended aerodromes since 2008, each involving breakdowns in radio communication and situational awareness. This latest incident adds urgency to ongoing efforts by the CAA and aviation community to promote safer flying practices. 'This report is essential reading for anyone flying into or managing New Zealand's busiest unattended aerodromes,' said Mr Kozhuppakalam. 'Night or day, knowing where other aircraft are—and being seen—is non-negotiable.'
Scoop
07-05-2025
- General
- Scoop
Near-Collision Highlights Safety Lessons For All Busy, Unattended Aerodromes
A serious near-collision at Ardmore Airport has prompted the Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) to call for improvements to aircraft visibility, communication between pilots, and sharing of critical information about operations at busy unattended aerodromes across New Zealand. TAIC's report, published at 0500 today, is particularly relevant to pilots, aircraft operators, and aerodrome managers. On 3 October 2023, a twin-engine Beech Duchess passed within 20 feet of a Cessna 172 while both were on final approach at night. The Cessna pilot initiated a go-around to avoid a potential mid-air collision. Both aircraft landed safely. The Commission says the pilot of the Beech was unaware how close they were to the Cessna, which was hard to see, despite meeting rules for lighting at night. The two aircraft were following different altitude profiles, one of which was only published in the local operations manual, not in the Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP), on which most pilots rely. And missed radio calls meant a lost opportunity to avoid the close call. TAIC's Chief Investigator of Accidents, Naveen Kozhuppakalam, says the TAIC final report is relevant to every unattended aerodrome in New Zealand. 'There are unattended aerodromes all over the country, where pilots rely on aircraft visibility, shared airspace awareness, and good communication to stay safe. When those break down, so does the last line of defence against mid-air collisions,' said Mr Kozhuppakalam. TAIC has made two formal recommendations to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), calling for it to issue guidance on how to make aircraft easier to see at night—particularly using modern lighting like LEDs, and to require that aerodrome procedures are up to date and available to every pilot via the AIP. TAIC has previously investigated three fatal mid-air collisions at unattended aerodromes since 2008, each involving breakdowns in radio communication and situational awareness. This latest incident adds urgency to ongoing efforts by the CAA and aviation community to promote safer flying practices. 'This report is essential reading for anyone flying into or managing New Zealand's busiest unattended aerodromes,' said Mr Kozhuppakalam. 'Night or day, knowing where other aircraft are—and being seen—is non-negotiable.'
Daily Mail
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire contestant suffers eye-watering loss after tricky nature question - but can YOU solve it?
A contestant on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? suffered an eye-watering loss after a tricky nature question this week. Sunday's instalment of the ITV show saw Jeremy Clarkson welcome Amy, from Stroud, who attempted to win some cash. The tourism officer eventually set a safety net at £32,000 and worked her way through to the £125,000 question. It read: 'Which of these species of trees lives the longest? A: Yew, B: Oak, C: Sweet chestnut, D: Beech.' 'I kill a lot of my plants so trees are not my strong suit,' Amy commented. 'I know an Oak tree is very old, but I don't know if that's just old tales and hearing that, and it's a very English tree to grow.' It read: 'Which of these species of trees lives the longest? A: Yew, B: Oak, C: Sweet chestnut, D: Beech.' 'I kill a lot of my plants so trees are not my strong suit,' Amy commented She added: 'I don't know a Sweet chestnut and I've seen a Yew tree and a Beech tree, but they've never told me how old they are.' Amy considered 'taking a chance' at the question but Jeremy interjected: 'Let me just explain the current situation, if you did take a chance and got it right, that would be great, you'd win £125,000.' He added: 'If you get it wrong, you lose £32,000 but you still go home with £32,000.' After some thought, Amy said: 'I think I might as well go for it, no point in not doing it, right?' 'I'm going to go for Oak, final answer,' Amy said. Jeremy called her 'unbelievably brave' but revealed she had answered incorrectly. The correct answer was in fact Yew. 'Oh I am sorry Amy, but I just love your attitude and you are leaving her with £32,000 which is pretty good,' Jeremy said. It comes after contestant Paul Sharpe took to the hot seat on a previous episode and had been sailing through the prizes when he got to a US-based question. 'I can't remember ever having a contestant like you,' host Jeremy said of Paul's courage throughout the game - which saw him take multiple risks. He had been slowly climbing the cash ladder and at one point was sitting on £64,000 with a safety net amount of £32,000. Paul then made it to a whopping £125,000 question - which would have seen him bag an extra £93,000. But it was a question about US state capitals that tripped him up. 'Which of these is not the name of a US state capital?' Jeremy asked, before Paul was given the options of A) Lincoln, B) Richmond, C) Cambridge or D) Dover. 'I'm pretty sure that Cambridge is the state capital of Massachusetts,' Paul said, after being left struck by the question. 'I think Dover is in the Mid West somewhere, so my gut feeling says Richmond. Having already used two of his lifelines, Paul opted to ring his dad Dennis for help. Dennis assured his son that he thought Dover was the answer, before adding: 'Pretty sure.' Jeremy praised Dennis's confidence, as he said: 'That's the kind of person you want on the other end of the phone - clear, decisive, possibly wrong but who knows.' Paul revealed most of his answers up until that point had been guesses as he locked in Dover. Gutted Paul was then told the answer was Cambridge and he had lost £32,000 - but would be taking home his safety net.
The Sun
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Who Wants to be a Millionaire contestant loses huge amount of money on tricky tree question – but would you have got it?
A WHO Wants to be a Millionaire contestant lost a huge amount of money on a tricky tree question - but would you have got it right? The ITV show returned on Sunday after a break, with Jeremy Clarkson back on hosting duties. 4 4 He was first joined by Amy, a tourism officer from Stroud, who battled her way up the board. After struggling with a motorsport question, Amy got through and set her safety net at £32,000. She then managed to get the £64,000 question right before taking on the £125,000 question. It was: "Which of these species of tree lives the longest?" She was given the options: "A) Yew, B) Oak, C) Sweet chestnut and D) Beech." She immediately said with a grimace: "I kill a lot of my plants, so trees are not my strong suit. "I know an Oak tree is very old, but I don't know if that's just old tales and hearing that. "I don't know a Sweet chestnut, and I've seen a Yew tree and a Beech tree but I don't know how old they are." As she debated about having a stab at it, Jeremy reminded her that if she got it wrong, she'd lose £32,000 but would go away with the £32,000 safety net. Amy said: "I think I might as well go for it, no point in not doing it, right?" Who Wants to be a Millionaire contestant struggles with motorsport question She then decided to go for Oak and said "final answer" so it was locked in. After a pause, Jeremy said: "You are unbelievably sadly wrong." The computer on screen then revealed that A) Yew was the correct answer. He added: "Oh I am sorry Amy, but I just love your attitude, and you are leaving here with £32,000 which is pretty good." 4
