Miscommunication leads to damage of US-registered Catalina at Fermanagh Seaplane Festival

Casualties unknown • Gublusk Bay, Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, GB

A 1943 Super Catalina sustained damage to its right elevator after drifting into a moored yacht due to conflicting mooring procedures between the flight crew and marshal boat teams.

What happened

During the Fermanagh Seaplane Festival at Gublusk Bay, Lower Lough Erne, a 28-5ACF Super Catalina, registration N9767, experienced an incident while attempting to moor. The aircraft, which was part of a group of flying boats participating in the event, entered the bay at approximately 1205 hrs on 24 September 2011.

Upon approaching its intended mooring point, the pilot turned the aircraft into the wind and shut down the engines. Because the aircraft was unable to restart its engines, it began to drift. The aircraft eventually drifted into a moored yacht, resulting in damage to the right elevator. There were no fatalities and no injuries to the seven persons on board or the passengers.

The investigation

The AAIB investigation established that there were conflicting operational expectations between the crew of N9HM7 and the marshal boat crews. The marshal boat teams expected the aircraft to taxi to the mooring buoy under its own power and then be towed by a tug boat once the engines were stopped. Conversely, the crew of the 28-5ACF Super Catalina expected that they would shut down their engines near the moorings and be towed to the buoy by the marshal boats.

Efforts to assist the aircraft were complicated by language barriers and equipment issues. The ground crewman on the aircraft spoke limited English, making communication with the Chief Marshal difficult. Furthermore, during an attempt to attach a line, the first marshal boat became entangled in the line, and a second rescue boat also became incapacitated after its propeller became fouled by the same line.

Findings

  • The primary cause of the accident was differing expectations between the aircraft crew and the marshal boat crews regarding the mooring procedure.
  • The lack of specific communication regarding the aircraft's mooring requirements during the morning safety briefing contributed to the incident.
  • Language barriers between the French-speaking aircraft crew and the English-speaking boat crews hindered effective coordination during the emergency.

Probable cause

The accident resulted from a lack of shared understanding between the flight crew and the water support teams regarding how the aircraft would approach and secure itself to the mooring buoy, a discrepancy that was not addressed during the pre-event safety briefing.

Frequently asked questions

What happened in the 2011-09-24 28-5ACF Super Catalina accident near Gublusk Bay, Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, GB?

A 1943 Super Catalina sustained damage to its right elevator after drifting into a moored yacht due to conflicting mooring procedures between the flight crew and marshal boat teams.

What aircraft was involved and where did it happen?

The accident on 2011-09-24 involved a 28-5ACF Super Catalina, registration N9767, at Gublusk Bay, Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, GB.

What was the probable cause of the accident?

The accident resulted from a lack of shared understanding between the flight crew and the water support teams regarding how the aircraft would approach and secure itself to the mooring buoy, a discrepancy that was not addressed during the pre-event safety briefing.

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