Jetstar pilots forgot to lower landing gear on approach
Pilots of a Jetstar flight forgot to lower the plane’s landing gear on approach to a NSW airport due to “a series of distractions”, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau has found.
The pilots of a Jetstar A320 aircraft were approaching Ballina-Byron Gateway Airport on May 18, 2018 when they were forced to abort two landings due to the oversight, a report by the bureau found.
It was found that on the first attempt, the flight crew “conducted a go-around” because the captain found the plane’s airspeed and altitude were higher than normal for an approach. The crew realised the landing gear was not down on the second attempt, and the flight landed safely on its third attempt.
The ATSB found the crew did not follow Jetstar’s standard procedures during the first go-around, resulting in distractions that contributed to the landing gear oversight.
“During the downwind leg following the first go-around, the flight crew did not select the landing gear down as they had commenced the configuration sequence for landing at the Flaps 3 setting,” the report said.
“Furthermore the flight crew incorrectly actioned the landing checklist, which prevented the incorrect configuration for landing being identified and corrected.”
Dr Stuart Godley, ATSB Director Transport Safety Director, said the incident showed how “unexpected events during approach and landing” can “substantially” increase the flight crew’s workload.
“Following standard procedures mitigates the risk of the selection of inappropriate auto-flight modes, unexpected developments, or confusion about roles or procedures that can contribute to decisions and actions that increase the safety risk to the aircraft and its passengers,” Godley said.
Following the incident, Jetstar Airways said the flight crew members involved attended debriefings with flight operations management and were provided with related simulator and line flying training.