The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has issued a final report on its reopened investigation of the Nov. 18, 2009, ditching of an Israel Aircraft Industries Westwind 1124A — five years after the original report and four years after the initial investigation prompted a request for a review by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) of ATSB procedures.
The emergency medical services flight from Apia, Samoa, was headed to Norfolk Island — a self-governing Australian territory in the Pacific Ocean — for refueling. Low clouds obscured the runway, and after several missed approaches, the crew ditched the airplane. All six occupants were rescued by boat; two suffered serious injuries.
In its original final report on the di…
