Sunstate DH8D at Gladstone on Mar 17th 2020, taxied onto runway despite aircraft on final approach
Last Update: February 23, 2021 / 14:53:29 GMT/Zulu time
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Mar 17, 2020
Classification
Report
Airline
Sunstate Airlines
Flight number
QF-2331
Departure
Gladstone, Australia
Destination
Brisbane, Australia
Aircraft Registration
VH-LQJ
Aircraft Type
De Havilland Dash 8 (400)
ICAO Type Designator
DH8D
On Feb 23rd 2021 the ATSB released their final report concluding the probable causes of the incident rated a runway incursion were:
- The flight crew of VH-LQJ were not aware that light aircraft 24-8279 was on approach and taxied onto the runway in front of it. Consequently, the pilot of 24-8279 had to conduct a go-around.
- The visual scan by the flight crew of VH-LQJ before entering the runway did not identify the approaching 24-8279, probably because of their degraded situational awareness.
- Increased workload and distractions while preparing VH-LQJ for departure led to the crew not setting the correct radio frequency and the appropriate mode on the traffic collision avoidance system/transponder. Without these essential aids to situational awareness, neither pilot developed an accurate mental model of the traffic.
The ATSB analysed:
This was the first flight of the day for LQJ and the crew had about 45 minutes to complete all pre-flight preparations prior to the scheduled departure time of 0645. During this period, the captain and FO encountered several unanticipated events and distractions, including the APU failure and person in custody paperwork, that required additional actions to be performed within the allocated timeframe. These interruptions and additional actions within a defined time period added workload and time pressures.
The combination of increased workload and time pressures is known to result in degraded information processing, increased errors, the tunnelling of attention, and an increased reliance on familiar strategies or actions (Staal, 2004). This response to workload and time pressures likely resulted in the flight crew’s omission of the two ‘before start’ checklist items and the selection of the incorrect frequency in VHF COM 2.
The frequency selection error was further compounded by the flight crew not recognising an absence of AFRU reply when making radio calls on the incorrect frequency. As a result, the captain and FO were not aware that they were monitoring and broadcasting on the incorrect CTAF.
The flight crew’s inadvertent omission of the TCAS/transponder selection resulted in the captain and FO incorrectly believing the TCAS would alert them to the presence of any transponder equipped aircraft that were operating in the vicinity of Gladstone Airport.
As a result of the frequency selection and TCAS/transponder errors, the flight crew’s situational awareness was significantly degraded resulting in the captain and FO forming the shared belief that no other traffic was operating in the vicinity of Gladstone Airport. This shared incorrect mental model likely impacted the efficacy of the visual scan conducted by the flight crew as they neared the A5 intersection. Consequently, neither flight crew member identified the approaching aircraft and LQJ was taxied onto the runway in front of Faeta 8279. The instructor on board Faeta 8279 conducted a go-around to avoid an incident on the occupied runway.
Aircraft Registration Data
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Mar 17, 2020
Classification
Report
Airline
Sunstate Airlines
Flight number
QF-2331
Departure
Gladstone, Australia
Destination
Brisbane, Australia
Aircraft Registration
VH-LQJ
Aircraft Type
De Havilland Dash 8 (400)
ICAO Type Designator
DH8D
This article is published under license from Avherald.com. © of text by Avherald.com.
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