FlySafair incident 'blown out of proportion', air safety in SA up to standard

A FlySafair flight was forced to make an emergency landing over the weekend after a wheel was damaged during take-off, putting the spotlight back on airline safety.

Flight FA212 from Johannesburg to Cape Town was required to return to OR Tambo on Sunday.

The airline said the pilot adjusted course after ground staff at OR Tambo alerted them to the problem.

Fight FA212 entered a holding pattern twice to burn off some fuel, and also made a low pass over the airport so that safety teams could inspect the landing gear visually before the final touchdown.

Bruce Whitfield talked to Kirby Gordon, Chief Marketing Officer at FlySafair, and SA Flyer Magazine editor Guy Leitch.

Both gave the assurance that airline safety in South Africa is not something for us to worry about.

Firstly, Leitch asserted, the Boeing 737-800 in question here is one of the most remarkably safe aircraft of all time.

"The media, because of smartphones and cameras, in my opinion is blowing this current incident somewhat out of proportion."

Guy Leitch, Editor - SA Flyer Magazine

While South African carriers tend to have older aircraft because they can't afford the cost of replacing them, this is not a concern, he adds.

Leitch points out that airliners are subject to so-called C and D checks every four to six years, which he describes as massive overhauls.

"Basically the airliner gets stripped down; the interior gets stripped off... It's examined from head to toe, and it should be like new when it comes out."

Guy Leitch, Editor - SA Flyer Magazine

Kirby agrees it's common practice for aircraft of this nature to be able to operate well into the 30-year range.

What is important is the way the aircraft is maintained through its lifespan, he says.

"We have to strip people of the analogy with cars... We can't really think of aircraft the way that we do cars, because we don't perform nearly the same sort of maintenance on our motor vehicles."

Kirby Gordon, Chief Marketing Officer - FlySafair

Leitch also emphasizes that our civil aviation authority, SACAA, is stringent about regulatory oversight.

That's why the sort of incidents we do see are things like unexpected metal fatigue as in this case, he says.

There's also a lot to be said for the nature of pilot quality and training in the country adds Gordon, and also in fact for the initial design behind the aircraft in use in our skies.