'Poor training' caused Bali sea crash

A Lion Air Boeing 737 lies submerged in the water after missing the runaway during landing at Bali's international airport near Denpasar on April 14, 2013. AFP PHOTO/SONNY TUMBELAKA Source: AFP

INDONESIAN authorities blamed poor training for a crash in which a rookie pilot undershot the runway and landed in the sea off Bali last month.

All 108 passengers and crew survived the spectacular April 13 crash, which split the new Boeing 737-800 in two and was a major blow to Lion Air, which has signed record plane orders but is trying to shake off its poor safety record.

The preliminary investigation by the National Transport Safety Committee found the 24-year-old Indian national at the plane's helm was forced to hand control to the Indonesian captain since he could not see the runway upon descent.

The switch was made at 46 metres - below the minimum altitude considered safe to continue descending - and the captain ordered the plane to go around just one second before it crashed into the sea.

The report recommended Lion Air immediately implement several safety measures, such as reviewing "the policy and procedures regarding the risk associated with changeover of control at critical altitudes or critical time".

The airline should also reiterate safety protocols related to minimum altitudes to its pilots, it said.

The report described a sudden change in weather, with clear visibility minutes before the flight landed changing to rain and very poor visibility seconds before.

While a full investigation will determine the exact cause, the preliminary report ruled out any fault with the aircraft.

Lion Air was little-known internationally until it struck two of the world's largest aircraft orders worth a staggering $US46 billion ($46.2 billion).

In March Lion Air ordered 234 medium-haul A320 jets worth 18.4 billion euros ($24 billion) from Europe's Airbus to boost its expansion as air travel booms in the fast-developing nation of 240 million people.

That order followed its $US22.4 billion order for 230 Boeing 737 airliners in 2011.

But experts have raised concerns there is a lack of qualified pilots in Indonesia to fly the fast-increasing number of planes acquired by Lion Air.

Along with with most Indonesian airlines, it is banned from US and European skies for safety reasons.

Between 2004 and 2006 Lion Air suffered a series of six accidents which all involved planes overshooting or missing the runway. No one died.

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Coast commute derailed by crash

TRAINS have been suspended at Landsborough on the Sunshine Coast after a car crashed into boom-gates at the Caloundra Rd level crossing.

Translink said customers should expect delays of approximately 20 minutes until police arrive to divert traffic at the scene.

Queensland Rail repair crews are also on scene.

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Budget cash to smooth road crash spots

FORTY-FIVE intersections with an appalling crash history will be upgraded at a cost of $14 million being allocated in tomorrow night's Federal budget.

In the past five years, close to 400 crashes have occurred at the blackspots and 12 people have lost their lives.

Spread throughout the state, the sites to undergo major works include the Warrego Highway at Helidon, three intersections on the Captain Cook Highway near Cairns and two sections of the Gold Coast Highway.

Others will get only cosmetic improvements with new speed signs to be installed on Gladstone-Benaraby Road in Central Queensland and improvements to give way signage on Wrigley St at Maroochydore.

Under the federal blackspot program, road users can nominate areas they believe should be considered for a safety upgrade.

The nominations are then considered by a review panel.

The 2013-14 funding is an increase on last year when 40 sites were upgraded at a cost of $12 million.

Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan said the government had doubled blackspot funding over the past five years to help make the roads safer for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.

"In a state the size of Queensland we know just how important it is to have constant improvements being made to the quality and safety of our roads," said Mr Swan.

"That's why in the budget continued investments in infrastructure are a top priority because we all want the peace of mind that comes with knowing our loved ones will arrive home safely."

Queensland's peak motoring body RACQ has been campaigning for significant funding for roads and external affairs manager Paul Turner said $14 million was "a drop in the ocean".

"We're happy to have it obviously, but it's a very small amount for what is a big problem," Mr Turner said.

"We need up to $100 million for safety upgrades to the Bruce Highway alone, widening the road, removing trees, poles and other obstacles, smoothing out verges and widening median strips."

The Federal Government has previously promised $4.1 billion for Bruce Highway projects over the next five years. The Queensland Government is seeking almost double that.

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Serious injuries in car and bus crash

A MAN is fighting for his life in the Gold Coast Hospital following a crash involving a car and bus in Nerang this morning.

A Department of Community Safety spokeswoman said crews were called to the crash at the intersection of McLaren Road and Beaudesert Nerang Road just before 7am.

Fire crews used the jaws of life to free the driver of the car, believed to be the sole occupant, from the vehicle.

The spokeswoman said the driver went into cardiac arrest on scene and was transported to the Gold Coast Hospital in a critical condition.

The driver of the bus was uninjured. There were no passengers on board at the time of the incident.

The Forensic Crash Unit is investigating.
 

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Black box key to jet aerobridge crash

A United Airways plane clipped an aerobridge while parking at Melbourne Airport, leaving its wing with significant damage. Picture: Michael Asten Source: Herald Sun

THE black box on a United Airlines jumbo jet could hold the key as to how it crashed into an aerobridge at Melbourne Airport.

The investigation into the bingle that saw the plane grounded after suffering extensive damage is expect to last until July.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau will also interview ground staff at Tullamarine in the probe.

Communications between pilots and ground staff are expected to form a key part of the investigation after the plane carrying 135 passengers overshot the jetway on April 22.

An ATSB spokesman said several activities from the day would be looked at and the flight data recorder would form part of the investigation.

He said flight crew would be quizzed and the airport's security camera footage would also be viewed in a bid to piece the causes of the crash together.

United Airlines is conducting its own probe into flight 839, but said yesterday it had no comment to make while the investigation was continuing.

Witnesses described hearing a "loud, distinctive crash" when the plane's wing was clipped.

The wing was left with a 40cm hole and the aerobridge was also inoperable following the mid-morning bingle.

Passengers were trapped on the plane for about 50 minutes while the jet was pulled back, and travellers were forced to disembark via stairs on to the Tullamarine tarmac.

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Black box key to jet aerobridge crash

A United Airways plane clipped an aerobridge while parking at Melbourne Airport, leaving its wing with significant damage. Picture: Michael Asten Source: Herald Sun

THE black box on a United Airlines jumbo jet could hold the key as to how it crashed into an aerobridge at Melbourne Airport.

The investigation into the bingle that saw the plane grounded after suffering extensive damage is expect to last until July.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau will also interview ground staff at Tullamarine in the probe.

Communications between pilots and ground staff are expected to form a key part of the investigation after the plane carrying 135 passengers overshot the jetway on April 22.

An ATSB spokesman said several activities from the day would be looked at and the flight data recorder would form part of the investigation.

He said flight crew would be quizzed and the airport's security camera footage would also be viewed in a bid to piece the causes of the crash together.

United Airlines is conducting its own probe into flight 839, but said yesterday it had no comment to make while the investigation was continuing.

Witnesses described hearing a "loud, distinctive crash" when the plane's wing was clipped.

The wing was left with a 40cm hole and the aerobridge was also inoperable following the mid-morning bingle.

Passengers were trapped on the plane for about 50 minutes while the jet was pulled back, and travellers were forced to disembark via stairs on to the Tullamarine tarmac.

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Taxi driver dies in horror bridge crash

FATAL: The scene of a horror crash on the Story Bridge. Picture: Adam Armstrong Source: The Courier-Mail

A PERSON has died after a horrific head-on collision between a taxi and another car on the Story Bridge in Brisbane, police say.

The “devastating” crash closed the inbound lanes and cut the outbound lanes on the major road artery from 4.45am Friday, with four people taken to hospital.

The age or gender of the person has not been released.

At 8.40am, police said all lanes of the Story Bridge are re-opened after being closed for almost four hours.

Earlier, motorists were told to avoid the Story Bridge during peak-hour after the two-car crash happened about 4.45am Friday.

A Department of Community Safety spokeswoman said a total of four people were taken to hospital.

All lanes on the Story Bridge heading into Brisbane's city are closed after a head on crash.

“In the private vehicle, there was a female driver who was trapped and she had a male passenger,” she said.

“In the taxi, the male driver was trapped and he had a male passenger.”

The people were taken to either the Royal Brisbane Hospital or the Princess Alexandra Hospital, she said.

The ages and injuries of those hurt was not known.

Queensland Fire and Rescue Service Inspector Mark Welsh said firefighters were forced to use cutting equipment to free the occupants from the cars.

FATAL: The scene of a horror crash on the Story Bridge. Picture: Adam Armstrong

“A person was trapped in their vehicle with serious injuries and it took about three-quarters of an hour to remove them,” he said.

He described the scene as “devastation,” with debris strewn across the road.

“It was a serious incident with bits and pieces off both vehicles,” he said.

Earlier, the Australian Traffic Network said drivers were facing “heavy delays” through the area after authorities closed Main Street inbound at River Terrace and Shaftson Avenue at the Main Street exit due to the accident.

“We advise people to take Vulture Street into South Brisbane and then onto Grey Street, instead, or take the Pacific Motorway to the Riverside Expressway,” reporter Jay Lane said.

TRAFFIC: An accident between a taxi and a car closed lanes of the Story Bridge in Brisbane. Picture: Adam Armstrong

The Forensic Crash unit is investigating.

CRASH: The two vehicles involved in the crash on the Story Bridge. Picture: Adam Armstrong

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Woman, horses killed in truck crash

Police and workers clean up the accident scene on the Melba Highway. Picture: Norm Oorloff Source: Herald Sun

UPDATE: A DRIVER has died and three people have been injured after a semi-trailer jack-knifed into two vehicles in the Yarra Valley last night.

The semi-trailer was travelling south on the Melba Highway near Dixons Creek, 46km northeast of Melbourne,  when it slammed into the two vehicles, one towing a horse float, about 8.20pm.

The sole occupant of a Mitsubishi van, a Dandenong woman aged in her 50s, died at the scene.

Emergency workers freed a 29-year-old female driver from Pakenham and her 21-year-old female passenger from Berwick who were in a Nissan Navara that was towing the horse float.

Emergency services at the scene of the fatality. Picture: Channel 9

Both women were taken to Royal Melbourne Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The truck driver, a 41-year-old Swan Hill man was taken to The Alfred hospital in a serious condition.

One horse died at the scene, while emergency workers tried to free another horse trapped in the float.

A woman was killed in the crash. Picture: Channel 9

A short time later the horse was euthanised by a local ranger.

Detectives from the Major Collision Investigation Unit remain at the scene.

The section of Melba Highway between Healesville-Kinglake Road and Old Healesville Road will be blocked until further notice.

Three people were injured and taken to hospital for treatment. Picture: Channel 9

Police said road conditions might have been a factor in the crash.

“We’ve ruled out speed being involved," a police spokesman said.

"Alcohol has been ruled out also. The male driver of the truck has given a blood sample at the hospital. That will be analysed for drugs and we won’t know that for at least a month or so.”

Anyone who witnessed the collision is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or www.crimestoppers.com.au

The latest fatality brings Victoria's provisional road toll to 68, 12 lower than the same time last year.

The woman killed was driving a Mitsubishi van. Picture: Channel 9

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Triple fatal car crash was 'violent offence'

TRAGEDY: Goodna crash victims Nicholas Saxby, Brittany Bramwell and Matthew Prior. Source: The Courier-Mail

A MAN who killed three teenagers in a sickening crash on their way home from Dreamworld will serve 80 per cent of an increased 10-year jail sentence after the crime was declared a "serious violent offence" by the Court of Appeal.

Ipswich teenagers Brittany Bramwell, 17, Matthew Prior, 18, and Nicholas Saxby, 16, were driving home from an evening at the Gold Coast theme park's night-time drawcard 'Screamworld' when their car was wiped out in a crash at a Goodna intersection at 11pm on April 8, 2011.

Ipswich District Court Judge Sarah Bradley last year sentenced Michael Daniel Henderson, 35, to seven-and-a-half years jail for running two red lights, ramming another car twice and "using his car as a weapon'' in the moments before he T-boned the teenagers' car at high speed and fled the Goodna crash scene.

Henderson was eligible for parole release on February 15, 2015, after serving one-third of the jail term.

But the sentence Henderson received for dangerous operation of a vehicle causing death was overturned by the Court of Appeal on Thursday and increased from seven-and-a-half years to 10 years.

In a written judgment, Justice John Muir, Justice Margaret Wilson and Justice James Douglas declared the crime was a serious violent offence, meaning that Henderson would be required by legislation to serve 80 per cent of the sentence.

JAILED: Michael Henderson at Ipswich Courthouse. Picture: Mark Calleja

Justice Wilson said the previous sentence "manifestly failed to reflect the overall criminality of the respondent’s conduct".

"It is only in an exceptional case that this Court will intervene to increase a sentence to a level higher than that sought by the prosecutor at first instance,’’ she said in the judgment.

"However, the ultimate responsibility for the imposition of an appropriate sentence rests with the sentencing judge rather than the prosecutor, and this Court will intervene where the sentencing judge failed to appreciate the seriousness of the offending or it is necessary to maintain public confidence in the administration of justice."

Justice Wilson said Henderson’s was "an extremely dangerous case of dangerous driving" that had "catastrophic consequences".

Matthew and Brittany died at the scene, at the corner of Bertha St and Brisbane Rd, and Nicholas died later in Princess Alexandra Hospital.

TRAGEDY: Grieving family and friends console each other at Ipswich Court House. Picture: Mark Calleja

The car was driven by Brittany's boyfriend of two years, Alex Mayfield, 17. He suffered serious life-threatening injuries, including fractured ribs and ruptured internal organs, but survived.

At the sentencing in Ipswich, Prosecutor Caroline Marco said Henderson had been drinking with friends when he got into a fight at a house on Bertha St which escalated and led to him ramming another man's car twice before giving chase at speeds of 85 to 95km/h.

She said Henderson pulled into oncoming traffic on Bertha St, forcing another motorist to run a red light to escape being hit by his car.

Henderson ran from police twice after fleeing the crash scene while others stopped to help the injured teenagers.

He was not apprehended until 11.40pm and then behaved "belligerently'' towards police, Ms Marco said.

Henderson's driver's licence had been suspended on October 11, 2010, for speeding offences.

Defence lawyer Steve Kissick said at the time that his client had not showed "callous disregard'' by fleeing the crash site.

Mr Kissick said Henderson was both highly remorseful and deeply saddened.

The court was told Henderson was the eldest of 13 children, was in foster care as a child, grappled with a heroin addiction and had three young children of his own.

Henderson was also sentenced for assaulting his ex-partner on April 4, 2010. He was on bail over the incident when the crash took place.

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Gateway crash causes traffic delays

TRAFFIC is moving slowly on the Gateway Motorway at Boondall after an early morning car and motorbike crash.

A police spokesman confirmed all southbound lanes have been reopened to traffic and cars were travelling smoothly through the area.

An emergency services spokeswoman said the car and motorbike crashed just before 6am.

The motorcyclist has been taken to the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital in a stable condition suffering from back and rib injuries.

A police spokesman said at  7am there were still long delays on the Gateway Motorway.

 Chris Hull from the Australian Traffic Network said the crash happened between the Boondall and Nudgee exits.

Mr Hull also reported a truck had lost its trailer on Boundary Rd at Richlands and said there was the normal peak hour congestion on the Pacific Motorway between Tanah Merah and Eight Mile Plains.

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Truck crash shuts Western Highway

VICTORIA's Western Highway has been closed after a truck jack-knifed, blocking all lanes.

The driver of the semi-trailer escaped unharmed after the emergency near Ercildoune Rd in Trawalla.

The truck was driving eastbound when the incident occurred at 6.35am.

Police expect the road to remain blocked for up to three hours, while heavy haulage removalists are called in.

Westbound traffic has been diverted through Ararat and eastbound to the Sunraysia Highway.

Meanwhile, a nine-year-old boy is fighting for his life after he was hit by a car while riding his bike in Geelong.

The boy was riding along the highway in Norlane when he was knocked off his bike at 7.35pm last night.

He was flown to the Royal Children's Hospital with head injuries in a critical condition.

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Teen fighting for life after car crash

A TEENAGE girl is fighting for her life and police are on the lookout for a missing man after the car they were travelling in collided with another in Bundaberg overnight.

The car, believed to have been stolen from a Brisbane address earlier this week, was driving along Takalvan St about 10.30pm Thursday when it crashed into another car.

The 16-year-old girl was seriously injured and was airlifted to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital in a critical condition, while a 17-year-old girl and a 15-year-old girl from the same car were taken to Bundaberg Base Hospital with minor injuries.

Police are still searching for a man who is believed to have been travelling with the girls and is thought to have fled the scene of the crash.

Officers also allege the car involved in the incident was stolen.

The driver and sole occupant of the second car was not injured.

The Forensic Crash Unit is investigating.
 

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Man fights for life after three-car crash

A MAN is in a critical condition after a three-car crash in Melbourne's west.

Police believe the man was driving his green Mitsubishi west along Leakes Rd in Truganina when it lost control and veered into the side of a silver Holden that was travelling east about 5.30am.

The Mitsubishi then crashed into a silver Toyota, which was also travelling east.

The 31-year-old Tarneit driver of the Mitsubishi has been taken to Royal Melbourne Hospital with life-threatening injuries.

The 53-year-old Holden driver was not injured.

The 35-year-old Tarneit driver of the Toyota has been taken to Footscray hospital and remains in a stable condition.

Police are investigating the crash and are appealing for any witnesses to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or visit www.crimestoppers.com.au.

 

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Man dies in Warragal ute crash

A MAN is dead and at least one other is injured after a ute rolled in Melbourne's east tonight.

The man, in his late 30s, was in the front passenger seat when the driver lost control of the vehicle on Solomons Rd, Warragul, about 7.30pm.

The victim died at the scene while the driver, who police believe to be in his late 20s, was taken to hospital in Warragul.

A rear seat passenger, also believed to be in his late 20s, refused treatment.

The fatality brings the provisional road toll to 39, seven fewer than the same time last year.

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