Geraldton-based FIFO airline Shine Aviation caught up in ATSB fuel exhaustion investigation

Workers at Mid West copper and gold mines are being flown on a plane that is currently the subject of a probe by the national transport safety investigator.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is looking into why one of Shine Aviation’s propeller-powered aircraft — registration code VH-PGO — almost had a disastrous landing at Meekatharra Airport on June 5.

“During the approach, the pilot received multiple fuel flow warnings on the number two engine followed by associated engine surging and aircraft yaw,” The ATSB stated. Yaw is the left-to-right movement of a plane’s nose.

“The pilot conducted initial actions and secured the engine. The post-flight inspection revealed the engine had lost power due to fuel starvation,” according to the ATSB.

“Engineers replaced an O-ring on the right inboard fuel cap as a precaution.”

Flight data shows the 10-seater plane was back in the air about five hours after the incident, but it is unclear if any passengers were on board. The plane has since made multiple trips from Shine’s Geraldton base to the Golden Grove and Mt Magnet landing strips.

The Golden Grove copper mine is run by 29Metals and Ramelius Resources operates the Mt Magnet gold mine. Ramelius declined to comment, while 29Metals and Shine did not respond to requests for comment.

Shine, which is owned by Geraldton local John Gooch, will likely have to wait until the final quarter of this year to find out the results of the ATSB’s investigation.

Shine’s close call is the first mechanical mishap in 2025 involving a small airline running charter flights to mines in WA’s outback. This follows a spate of safety incidents last year on planes operated by Perth-based Skippers Aviation.

On August 12, an aircraft was flying from IGO’s Forrestania nickel operation in the western Goldfields when its brakes failed after touching down at Perth Airport. The runaway plane collided with a hangar resulting in “minor damage”.

Just three days later, a Skippers flight from Perth to Northern Star Resources’ Bronzewing gold mine had to turn back not long after take-off and make an emergency landing as smoke engulfed the aircraft’s interior. The ATSB found the “serious” incident was caused by a mechanical failure compounded by a series of flight crew mistakes.

Then on October 2, another Skippers plane travelling from Perth to Bronzewing was forced to descend rapidly after suddenly losing cabin pressure. Flight data showed the Dash 8 twin engine turboprop aircraft had to reduce its altitude at a rate of more than 5200 feet per minute, way beyond the typical maximum rate of 2500ft per minute when flying the same plane on the same route.

Adding to the string of safety breaches, a Skippers crew member was convicted for vaping during a flight on the Perth to Forrestania route during the year.

Skippers trimmed its fleet down from 27 in 2022 to 20 by the latter half of 2024, but a spokesman denied its cost-cutting crusade was jeopardising safety.

The airline is owned by the Quinlivan family and led by Stan Quinlivan. Mr Quinlivan’s investment portfolio includes the Ocean Beach Hotel and a troop of race horses.