a tragedy

Disaster

PH211 a tragedy

PAL’s ill-fated flight leaves three dead and a series of unanswered questions

Text and photography by Chris Peteru Most everyone in the airline industry seems to have a theory on why Polynesian Airline’s flight PH2II, servicing a routine flight to Western Samoa from neighbouring Pago Pago never made home base.

Instead, in pouring rain and descending mist, the Twin Otter SW-FAU ploughed into the hillside, miles off the designated flight paths. Three of the five people on board, including 49-year-old New Zealand pilot Captain Colin “Gus” Pyber, were killed. First officer Tautai “Toko”

Tofaeono, a Samoan, survived with a bro ken back. And a five-year-old girl, Vi Laupola, from American Samoa, received minor injuries.

After leaving Pago Pago at 9.40 am for the scheduled 60-minute island hop, Captain Pyber was informed by the tower at Fagalii Domestic Airport, near the cap ital, Apia, that conditions were unsuitable for landing. It was recommended the plane divert to Faleolo International Airport, 25 kilometres to the west, where conditions were more suitable.

Heeding that advice, flight PH2II altered course for Faleolo, a journey of about five minutes. About 10 minutes ahead, another Twin Otter from rival domestic airline, Samoa Air, that had also diverted from Fagalii, touched down with out incident at Faleolo. The air traffic con trollers were expecting the PAL flight to follow and had given clearance to land. By now, the aircraft was over Satupuala, a stone’s throw to the airport and safety.

For some reason, PH2II then changed its heading and turned back toward Fagalii. But instead of flying back over

Apia, or following the shoreline from Faleolo, both accepted flight paths, in

atrocious flying conditions Captain Pyber

turned his aircraft southwest, directly into the Moamoa hills they would now have to fly over to get back to Fagalii airport.

Within 15 minutes of that manoeuvre, flight PH2II crashed. Both wings were tom from the fuselage with crash-strewn debris everywhere.

“The plane flew at a very low altitude towards the mountain, and then suddenly there was a loud crashing noise like thun der. We knew it was the plane,” says Tomasi Robeck, a Moamoa resident.

With mechanics from a nearby garage, Robeck headed up the steep incline. About 40 minutes later, they found the wreckage.

“Once we found the plane, one of the boys came back down to call the cops, but it was about two hours before they turned up.

“The hardest thing was when the girl cried, and she didn’t want to come away from her father (who died in the crash).”

The two survivors were driven to the

National Hospital. After stabilising, flight

officer Tofaeono, a former rugby interna tional, was taken to New Zealand for fur ther treatment.

Family members at his bedside said he was lucid and “very angry” as he recount ed what happened, but was not ready to comment publicly. Others, including PAL employees, believe the accident could have been avoided had a landing at Faleolo been carried out.

Significantly, a PAL pilot said: “No one flies through Moamoa; it’s too dan gerous. I think Pyber was disorientated ... and got lost.”

Although a number of other factors

could have contributed to the accident, including a total instrument failure, not one local pilot spoken to has disagreed with the scenario that PH2II had lost its way. Indications from the crash site sug gest the plane was flying in the wrong direction when it crashed.

The doubts over Pyber’s flying ability had been noticed earlier.

Having previously flown old DC-3s for a company in Wellington that eventually went bankrupt, Pyber had only minimal experience with the Twin Otters during his two years with the carrier, where he was made senior pilot on domestic services. In an open letter to Polynesian Airlines, pub lished by the Samoa Observer last November, Antipa Finau, a former airport controller with 17 years’ experience,

claimed Pyber’s “stupidity and inexperi

ence” almost caused a collision with a Samoa Air flight with 20 people on board.

Pyber was captain of a PAL flight at Fagalaii airport that entered a runway without clearance from the tower. His actions forced the other plane to abort its

landing.

Apparently, PAL took no disciplinary action against Pyber, who failed to report the incident. Only a complaint from a Samoa Air passenger to Transport Minister Joe Keil, a former pilot, and an anonymous letter to the Samoa Observer calling for an immediate investigation, brought the mistake out in the open.

“Also, another pilot with a passenger on board aborted landing when this same man (Pyber) crossed the runway in train ing,” said Finau. At the end of the flight training by “repeating the mistakes of his own students ... failing to respond and act

accordingly, he was obviously seen (by

other pilots) as the poorest performer of all”. Other PAL employees viewed him as something of an arrogant expatriate, who was patronising toward local pilots and disliked by office staff at Fagalii, where he was in charge of the overall running of the

airport.

“No one wanted to fly with him because of that, and he gave everyone a hard time. It’s not nice to say, but he is not really missed,” said one employee.

But the managment of Polynesian Airlines have stuck by Pyber.

“We trust he did what he felt was best and safe to do. It was his choice to go from one airport to the other, but it apparently didn’t work out,” said company secretary Leaupepe Muliaumasealii. He said Pyber

was an experienced pilot and had the con fidence of the airline. Chief Executive Officer Richard Gates has said he’s con cerned at the mounting speculation over the incident. He told the local media: “It is

unwise to be speculating at this stage, and it does not help anyone at a 11... It’s impor tant to try and protect the families of those who perished, both passengers and crew.

“We are asking for support and under standing. This tragedy has affected all of us here at Polynesian personally, and we must also try and continue to provide a service to the people. We are also keen to know the reasons ourselves.”

Investigations by a New Zealand air accident inspector, Alister Parkingham, are almost complete. The wingless fuse lage has since been airlifted to a PAL hangar.

In those conditions, says a veteran pilot, it could have been something as sim ple as the pilot not wanting to land miles away from home and having to catch the airport transport back on a wet and lousy day. Others suggest that simple ego and aviation one-up-manship between the two airlines could have played a part in flight PH2II attempting a return to Fagalii.

A full accident report is expected in about three months. ■

The body of one of the three victims is carried down on a stretcher