How an Aussie pilot accidentally put his Virgin Australia jet into a potential death roll during a flight to Melbourne
A Virgin Australia pilot accidentally steered a plane into a 42-degree angle during a service from Brisbane to Melbourne, injuring a flight attendant.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said the captain accidentally pressed the wrong switch when trying to open the cockpit door on September 6, 2023.
The Boeing 737 aircraft was approaching cruising altitude while flying over Ballina on the NSW north coast when the pilot received a call from a flight attendant requesting access to the cockpit.
After completing security procedures, the pilot visually identified the cockpit door switch and reached across to activate it.
“As they reached for the switch, the captain looked up from the switch towards the cockpit door and then accidentally grabbed the rudder trim control and activated it,” ATSB Chief Constable Angus Mitchell said.
The pilot held the switch for eight seconds, resulting in a bankroll of 42 degrees to the left as several food carts moved through the cabin.
A cabin crew member operating a trolley at the rear of the aircraft suffered a minor injury while attempting to stabilize the cart.
The ATSB found that the two switches are similar in operation and located close together on the cockpit aisle stand panel, between two seats.
A cabin crew member operating a trolley at the rear of the aircraft suffered a minor injury while attempting to stabilize the trolley (photo, Virgin Australia flight attendants)
The cockpit door switch controls and rudder trim controls are similar and located close together on the cockpit aisle stand panel, between two seats (photo)
“Initially, the autopilot countered the resulting left yaw from the increasing left rudder trim and induced the left roll, with an opposing and increasing right wing down aileron input,” the ATSB report said.
‘But after about 5 seconds of full left rudder trim input, the autopilot reached the limit of its ability to counteract this and the aircraft began to roll increasingly to the left.’
The first officer attempted to counter the turn, then disengaged the autopilot and manually applied almost full right rudder input to counter and correct the left roll.
The aircraft took off for Melbourne without further incident.
Following the incident, Virgin Australia changed the procedures for accessing the cockpit doors and reduced the time required to hold the door release switch.
“The new procedure is designed to indicate that the crew member requesting entry is at the door and ready to enter, reducing the time required to hold the door release switch in the unlock position,” said the ATSB report.
A Virgin Australia spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia: “The safety of our guests and crew is our top priority.”
‘Our team has worked closely with the ATSB to support the investigation and we have implemented procedural and training changes to prevent a recurrence.’