The South African Civil Aviation Authority is reviewing data recorded from the black boxes of the aeroplanes that took part in the DHL Stadium flypast on Saturday. Airlink said it volunteered the data.
Southern African low-cost carrier Airlink said that the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) is reviewing data recorded from its staged flyover of the DHL Stadium in Cape Town on Saturday.
Two branded Airlink Embraer jets made a low-altitude pass over the stadium as a match between the Springboks and the All Blacks commenced.
Videos of the flight circulated on social media, sparking safety concerns as several commentators, including some commercial pilots, said that the planes were too low to the roof of the stadium.
One of the planes that took part in the flyover, the black Embraer E195, was 12.5 to 14 metres above the roof of the stadium at one point in the flight.
Data from Flightradar24 showed that the aircraft was at a lower altitude than the lowest it had ever recorded. The platform tracks and records data from thousands of flights worldwide.
“Our lowest recorded ADS-B altitude was 50 ft at standard pressure, or approximately 205–210 ft AMSL when corrected for the local QNH of 1019 hPa,” Flightradar24 said on Saturday.
“With DHL Stadium standing about 164 ft tall near sea level, that puts the aircraft roughly 41–46 ft above the top of the stadium.” The jet’s actual altitude above sea level was about 62 to 64 metres.
However, in the context of the stadium roof, the Airlink aircraft was about 1.22 to 2.74 metres lower than Flightradar’s lowest recorded flight.
Videos and images of the flyover have circulated on social media, prompting much local and international interest.
Critics said the flight was dangerously low, even by South African flyover standards. The speed at which the planes were flying and their low altitude allegedly left virtually no margin for error.
Airlink said on Sunday that it noted concerns expressed on social media and other online forums regarding the flyby over Cape Town’s DHL Stadium.
“The flight demanded careful planning and rehearsal, as it required navigating at low altitude, at around 150 knots,” the carrier said.
In an updated statement, Airlink revealed that it had now volunteered the data recorded by the two aircraft’s black boxes to SACAA.
“Airlink, on its own initiative, has volunteered these data sets to the SACAA so it can independently review and verify that the flypast was in accordance with the flight authorisation,” it said.
“The data recorded by both aircraft’s digital flight data recorders indicate that the flights were performed within the SACAA’s approved and rehearsed safety altitude and speed limits for the flypast.”
In a previous statement, Airlink said the two aircraft were flown by highly experienced crews, with senior captains in command.
The senior captains were joined by a co-pilot and a technical officer on each of the aircraft. Airlink denied that the flights were unsafe.
SACAA and the Air Traffic Navigation Services (ATNS) both provided guidance, approval, and support to Airlink to ensure a safe flyby.
South African Civil Aviation regulations usually require that a minimum of 300 metres be maintained over built-up areas and 900 metres over open-air assemblies, such as stadiums.
This is unless a specific exemption is issued by a SACAA commissioner for an event, which was likely the case on Saturday’s flyby.
During formal air shows, all aircraft and performances are controlled by a Flight Director, who manages air traffic, sequences display runs, and handles ground-to-air radio communications to maintain safety.
“While Airlink appreciates the interest and concern, it will refrain from making any further comments while the SACAA reviews the flight data,” Airlink said.
Photo credit: Warren Kirkland Photo credit:
JCvdWalt
Photo credit:
JCvdWalt
Photo credit:
JCvdWalt
Photo credit: Sebastian Horrel
