The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is investigating an occurrence involving a Qantas aircraft near Singapore, which occurred, 4 November 2010.

General Manager, Aviation Safety Investigations, Mr Ian Sangston will conduct a briefing on known factual aspects of the investigation.

Where: 62 Northbourne Avenue, Canberra City ACT
(ATSB Central Office)

Time: 3.00pm (AEDT) today

After this briefing, all media enquiries should be directed to the media phone number below.

A team of four ATSB investigators has commenced the investigation into the occurrence involving a QANTAS A380 aircraft that sustained an engine failure shortly after departing Singapore yesterday, en route to Australia. The investigators arrived in Singapore overnight and commenced examining the aircraft this afternoon.

Speaking today in Canberra at a media conference, Mr Ian Sangston, General Manager Aviation Safety Investigations, said "an investigation of this complexity can take up to a year to complete. However, should any critical safety issues emerge, the ATSB will immediately bring those issues to the attention of the relevant authorities."

A preliminary factual report will be available by 3 December 2010.

Mr Sangston reported the aircraft's flight data and cockpit voice recorders have been recovered and returned to Australia. The flight data recorder was downloaded in Sydney this morning and work is ongoing to download the remaining recorders. The cockpit voice recorder will be downloaded in the ATSB's Canberra technical facilities.

The ATSB team in Singapore is arranging for the damaged engine to be taken to a local facility for inspection.  The aircraft will also be inspected for other damage.

The ATSB is working with its counterparts, including the Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) of Singapore and the Indonesian National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC)  to coordinate investigation activity.  Representatives from the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), the French Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses (BEA), Airbus, Rolls Royce and Qantas are also involved, in accordance with international protocols.

Indonesian representatives are supervising the collection and preservation of physical evidence on Indonesian territory. Mr Sangston thanked the Indonesia officials for their cooperation. The ATSB has quarantined a number of aircraft components for later technical examination.

The aircraft, operating as QF32 departed Singapore at 0957am local time. It appears that a number of abnormal engine indications on the No 2 engine commenced about 4 minutes after takeoff. The engine shut down at about 1001. The aircraft returned safely to Singapore, landing at 1147 after reducing its fuel load.

The occurrence, which occurred over Indonesian territory, is being investigated by the ATSB after being delegated by the Indonesian NTSC in accordance with international protocols.  Further investigation updates will be published on the ATSB website as information becomes available.

Two ATSB investigators today arrived in San Francisco to begin their investigation into the 30 August incident involving an Australian operated aircraft that experienced engine failure just outside of US airspace.

The plane was forced to return to San Francisco airport shortly after take-off due to a failure with its number 4 engine. The failure was mechanical in nature and led to ejected material puncturing a hole in the outboard engine and damaging the plane's flaps.

The investigators are expected to remain in San Francisco over the next few days to examine the engine and components and work with the operator and crew to determine the cause of the incident.

The engine will then be shipped to maintenance facilities in Hong Kong where it will be further examined by ATSB's technical investigators.

More details about the investigation will be made available as information comes to hand.

The ATSB today released its preliminary investigation report into the 30 August 2010 incident involving an Australian operated Boeing 747 aircraft that experienced an engine failure not long after leaving San Francisco, en route to Sydney.

The preliminary report reveals the number 4 (right most) engine sustained an internal mechanical failure in the turbine area, rupturing the casing and ejecting debris that punctured a hole in the cowling. The plane's flaps and wing skin also incurred minor damage.

The initial ATSB investigation centred on gathering the facts associated with the engine failure. This included the inspection of the engine and aircraft in San Francisco, and the later detailed disassembly and technical examination in Hong Kong.

As part of the continuing investigation, the ATSB will examine the circumstances surrounding the release of debris from the engine. While 'uncontained' engine failures are relatively uncommon it is important to ensure the circumstances are examined thoroughly and any significant safety lessons are learnt from the incident.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has today accepted a formal request from the Papua New Guinea Accident Investigation Commission to assist with their investigation into yesterday's plane crash at Misima Island in PNG.

A team of three ATSB investigators will fly out this evening to arrive at Misima island by late tomorrow to work closely with the PNG authorities.

Given this is a PNG investigation, the primary contact for this investigation will be the PNG Accident Investigation Commission. The ATSB will respond to any queries about its involvement in the investigation.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has paid tribute to black-box flight recorder inventor, Dr David Warren AO following his recent passing.

Aviation investigators around the world use black-box flight recorders as a principal means of establishing the sequence of events immediately after an aviation accident.

ATSB Chief Commissioner, Mr Martin Dolan, said through the invention of flight recorders Dr Warren greatly improved transport safety in Australia and throughout the world.

"In seeking answers about why accidents happen, the information derived from these recorders is often crucial. They let us identify what needs to be done to prevent recurrence and to enhance overall standards of aviation safety," Mr Dolan said.

"There is little doubt that many lives have been saved over the years as a result of the introduction of 'black boxes'. For this, the international aviation community and broader travelling public owe a debt of gratitude to Dr Warren's vision, perseverance and tenacity in pursuing their development."

All aircraft on the Australian register with a maximum take-off weight greater than 5,700 kg are required to carry both a cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and a flight data recorder (FDR).

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) today released the preliminary factual report into the 15 June 2010 aircraft accident that killed a pilot and a flight nurse in Canley Vale, NSW.

The report presents the facts of the accident gathered by the ATSB's initial investigation.

The investigation is continuing. The ATSB will examine the recovered aircraft components, maintenance records and operational issues. Investigators will also review the operator's flight crew training records and conduct further analysis on the air traffic control radar and voice recordings.

A final report is expected to be released within 12 months of the accident.

A copy of the preliminary factual report is available at www.atsb.gov.au.

A new report released by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) today highlights ways to manage the risks posed by birds hitting aircraft.

The report also reveals that the reported number of aircraft hitting birds (or 'birdstrikes') in Australia has steadily increased over the past eight years.

The report, which provides aviation birdstrike and animal strike occurrence data between January 2002 and December 2009, shows that in 2009 alone there were 1,340 birdstrikes reported to the ATSB.

The increase in the number of birdstrikes, however, is consistent with the increase in the number of high-capacity aircraft movements over the period as well as a greater willingness of people in aviation to report safety occurrences to the ATSB.

Although the vast majority of birdstrikes do not result in any damage or operational consequence, ATSB Chief Commissioner Mr Martin Dolan said birdstrikes still pose a serious safety risk to aircraft.

"Of the 9,287 reported birdstrikes in Australia during the past eight years, eight resulted in serious aircraft damage and four resulted in injury," Mr Dolan said.

"Interestingly, most birdstrikes occurred within 5 km of an airport and 11 per cent of strikes resulted in an engine ingestion for high-capacity aircraft.

"The ATSB encourages aerodrome operators, airlines and pilots to remain vigilant of the risk of birdstrikes. These risks can be mitigated through aerodrome wildlife control strategies, presented in the report, and through observation, avoidance and reporting of wildlife."

The most commonly damaged aircraft components in a birdstrike are aeroplane wings and helicopter rotor blades. Lapwings and plovers, bats and flying foxes, galahs, and kites are the most common types of flying animals struck by aircraft.

One of the most serious international incidents involving a birdstrike occurred when an Airbus A320 ditched on the Hudson River in New York after it struck a flock of geese and lost almost all power in both engines.

The ATSB is investigating an accident involving a Piper PA-31P aircraft that occurred at Canley Heights in NSW this morning.  

It was reported that the aircraft had two people on board and had departed from Bankstown Aerodrome in NSW.  

The pilot reported to air traffic control that the aircraft had sustained an engine problem would be returning to Bankstown. Shortly after the aircraft collided with the ground and caught fire in the vicinity of Canley Vale Road and Sackville Roads, Canley Vale Heights.

Emergency services personnel remain on site. The ATSB has dispatched a team of five investigators from Canberra to commence an investigation into the accident.

The investigator in charge will conduct a media briefing at 4.00 pm today at the corner of Canley Vale and Sackville Roads.

The ATSB requests that any witnesses to the accident please contact it on 1800 020 616.

The ATSB will provide regular updates on the website.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) today released its final investigation report into the 9 September 2009 collision between the Australian registered yacht Ella's Pink Lady and the Hong Kong registered bulk carrier Silver Yang off Point Lookout, Queensland.

The ATSB investigation found that when the two vessels collided, neither the yacht's skipper nor the ship's watch keepers were keeping a proper lookout, nor were they appropriately using navigational aids to manage the risk of collision.

The investigation also found that following the collision, the ship's watch keeper did not offer to assist the yacht's skipper. This is a problem that has also been highlighted by previous ATSB investigations.

ATSB Chief Commissioner Mr Martin Dolan said there are significant lessons to be learnt from this incident.

'This is a timely reminder that, under United Nations' conventions, ship operators have an obligation to offer assistance immediately to other vessels following a collision,' Mr Dolan said.

As a result of the ATSB investigation, the following key safety actions were taken:

• Ella's Pink Lady's radar visibility was enhanced before its departure from Sydney.
• The international requirement to render assistance following a collision has been highlighted.
• Attention was drawn to the possible limits in the detectability of Class B AIS transmissions.
• Silver Yang's operators intend to undertake further training of deck officers.