Pubdate: Fri, 19 Mar 2004 Source: New Zealand Herald (New Zealand) Copyright: 2004 New Zealand Herald Contact: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/300 Author: BRIDGET CARTER CRASH PILOT AFFECTED BY ALCOHOL The pilot of the plane that crashed on Queensland's Hamilton Island, killing an Auckland family, had taken drugs and alcohol, an accident report has revealed. Brisbane pilot Andrew Morris, 27, and his five passengers were killed instantly 18 months ago when a single-engine Piper Cherokee 6-300 plane smashed into a quarry near the end of the island's airport. Among the passengers were Hillsborough couple Kevin and Joanne Bowles, their two children Michael, 6, and Sophie, 9, and an American honeymooner, whose wife was on an earlier flight. In its report released yesterday, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau revealed that Mr Morris had been drinking the night before the crash, had cannabis in his bloodstream and had had seven hours' sleep before starting work on the day. The report said that it was still unclear whether the crash was caused by engine trouble or pilot error, but the post-mortem results indicated that the fact that the pilot had taken drugs and alcohol could not be discounted. Yesterday, Kevin Bowles' father, Ted, said he heard the findings on the afternoon radio news while driving with his wife in the car. He had not read the report. "You feel completely gutted when you hear things like this," he said. "It is one thing getting killed, but if it comes from a drunken or drugged pilot or something ... it is quite terrible." The pilot had a blood alcohol concentration level 0.081 per cent, above the 0.05 per cent legal limit for Australian drivers, although the results may have been slightly affected by the post-mortem process. He could have become disorientated when he turned the plane shortly before the crash, and the alcohol consumption could have affected his balance. The bureau expressed some concern about the level of training given to Mr Morris, who had been on the job only eight days. But Island Air Taxis owner Alan Sweeney said Mr Morris had 1300 flying hours - about five times the number needed to get a commercial pilot's licence. "He did his job well," he said. There were no signs that he was affected by alcohol in any way. "What is clear to my mind is that he had some sort of occurrence in flight. "The engine was running roughly and for some reason he was unable to cope." On September 26, 2002, when the crash occurred, the Bowles family were on a flight from Great Barrier Reef airport to their resort at nearby Lindeman Island. They were on holiday at the resort with old family friends, the Phillips family, who had flown back earlier. The flight should have taken seven minutes. But witnesses reported hearing the aircraft's engine cough, misfire and then cut out shortly after take-off. The pilot made a right turn at low level, the aircraft stalled and the plane descended and crashed. Eileen Phillips, who flew off the island before the crash with her husband and children, said she had only a glimpse of the pilot that morning before the flight and could not tell whether he was affected by alcohol. When someone had earlier mentioned that the accident may have been caused by pilot error, she discounted it. "I just couldn't believe that would happen," she said. A friend of the Bowles family, lawyer Derek Railey, said he would have to read the report before deciding whether the family could consider taking any legal action. Mr Sweeney said his company had made a number of changes to improve flight safety as a direct result of the crash, including extending the length of the runway. He also supported recommendations made by the bureau to look at introducing drug and alcohol testing for Australian pilots. - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart