Jetstar plane 'screamed straight up into air to avoid buildings'

[NickN]

I find this passengers version of events hard to buy. I have flown into Cairns many times and I don't recall there being any buildings along the approach path that would create something like this woman describes.

A PASSENGER on a commercial aircraft attempting to land at Cairns Airport during a torrential downpour and low visibility said the pilot had to accelerate and pull up steeply to avoid crashing into buildings.
"This flight nearly hit city buildings and screamed straight up into the air to miss them," passenger Paula Christ told The Cairns Post about her experience on Tuesday's Jetstar flight from Brisbane to Cairns.

The flight was diverted to the city of Townsville after attempting to land in Cairns.

"I have never been so terrified," Ms Christ said.

But the airline and regulator AirServices Australia said there was no evidence the pilot had a near-miss or had to take quick evasive action.

"There is nothing to suggest anything unusual about this flight other than it attempted to land but diverted to Townsville instead, which is a standard procedure," an airline spokeswoman said.

Steve you're a Cairns boy you seem to have your finger on the pulse there did you hear anything of this?


http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/new...-1225824258538

[Tony C]

LOL. She'd better off say the skippers were avoiding tree tops!

[Owen H]

Sounds an awful lot like a standard go around from runway 33 at the minima. Not unusual to not get visual there if you time it during a downpour. There are the city buildings which would look pretty close if you weren't used to it.

[Max C]

I think RWY 15 was in use the other day, and the ILS failed at some stage as well..

The missed approach for 15 is really not much different from the SID though...

Most Cairns residents who fly would be used to a low level turn on departure.

[Owen H]

Doesn't the ILS always fail when it rains?

I suggested 33 thinking she would have seen buildings, and more likely for a missed approach. 15 makes sense if she knew where the city was and felt like the turn was to avoid them.

Gotta love how the media run with a story because one passenger had never been so terrified, despite AirServices saying there was nothing wrong. Can't complain about the title though... I suppose in a way it is correct!

[Torin Wilson]

"I have never been so terrified," Ms Christ said.

Seems an ironic name given her account.

Wonder if she got confused with everyone yelling '(Jesus) Christ!'

Do people like this ring up these news agencies and just tell them some random story?

[Sarah C]

I was seriously trying not to laugh at the story.........suddenly a women holds a boarding pass and she is an expert on landings at Cairns. It must be a slow news day if this makes news in Cairns.

She would be terrified coming into Sydney and seeing all of the buildings next to rwy 25 and 16R/34L.

[Rhys Xanthis]

What about going in to land at Adl...the plane avoided houses and resting in the ocean

Just another person going for their 15 minutes to me.

[Ryan N]

I guess she's never been to HKG back in the Kai Tak days.

[Lee G]

I can feel an attempt at free tickets coming on ........

It's always funny how they say that they were frightened beyond believe and will never fly again - until a few freebie are handed out, then they're back in the air on the next flight to some holiday destination..

OK call me cynical then