Pilot stress 'crash factor'

By PAUL YANDALL

The Air Force failed to recognise the stress one of its pilots was under - a factor that may have contributed to the Skyhawk crash in which he was killed, an inquiry has found.

Squadron Leader Murray Neilson, aged 37, commander of the RNZAF's No 2 Squadron in Nowra, Australia, died when his Skyhawk crashed in New South Wales on February 16.

He was practising a "plugged barrel roll" manoeuvre, which involved a simulated air-to-air refuel between two Skyhawks, when he failed to pull out of a dive and crashed.

An RNZAF court of inquiry report released yesterday found he had crashed while attempting the manoeuvre too close to the ground.

But it also found that the "considerable pressure generated by his workload, and the environment in which he worked ... would have resulted in stress and fatigue which, in turn, would have distracted him and reduced his ability to safely operate the aircraft."

It said that he had notified his commander of concerns over his workload "as his commitments were far more than he could reasonably achieve given the time and staff available".

Squadron Leader Neilson was a flight instructor at the Nowra base and also carried a high administrative workload. His unit had only two instructors rather than the four it should have had and he had worked a series of 12-hour days and had been suffering from a high level of fatigue at the time.

However, the report states that " ... the supervisory system failed to recognise that Squadron Leader Neilson's ability to perform had been affected by his excessive workload and the stressful environment in which he was working."

An Air Force safety officer, Squadron Leader Russell Kennedy, said concerns over the levels of stress and workloads for pilots were being addressed.

He said one squadron, No 14 Squadron, had stopped flying for a short period recently and this was an example of how the RNZAF was attempting to manage stress levels.

"We hope that by ensuring the people involved are fully aware of the issues that led to this accident they can make good, balanced decisions as they decide what levels of tasking are appropriate and what levels they can cope with."

The Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice-Marshal Don Hamilton, said attaching blame to a pilot or any other person for the crash was not part of the inquiry's role, but the accident had raised "many crucial points".

The inquiry found no sign of mechanical failure with Squadron Leader Neilson's Skyhawk and investigations found the controls at normal settings.

He was flying as lead pilot at the time of the crash with another Skyhawk piloted by Squadron Leader Jason Easthope.

The pair were practising for Australia's biggest airshow, the Avalon Air Show, in Melbourne.

The report said he had completed the difficult plugged barrel roll manoeuvre over sea at a height of 300m.

He subsequently attempted the same manoeuvre over Nowra base from the same altitude without taking into account that Nowra is 150m above sea level.

"[He] realised something was amiss with the profile late in the manoeuvre and warned his wingman, undoubtedly saving his life," said the report.

Squadron Leader Easthope, who was following 10m behind, disconnected a fuel line between the aircraft and managed to pull out of the dive. Squadron Leader Neilson was unable to pull up in time.

Defence Minister Mark Burton said he was satisfied the accident had been thoroughly investigated and that the tragedy held lessons for everyone involved.