The rupture of an oxygen cylinder on board a Qantas Boeing 747 was a unique event and highly unlikely to happen again according to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB).

On 25 July 2008, an oxygen cylinder ruptured in the plane's forward cargo hold about an hour into a flight from Hong Kong to Melbourne. Part of the ruptured cylinder punctured the fuselage wall and damaged the cabin, causing the plane to rapidly depressurise. The plane then made an emergency descent and landed at the nearest suitable airport in Manila, Philippines. None of the 369 passengers and crew on board were injured.

ATSB Chief Commissioner, Mr Martin Dolan, said investigators conducted a comprehensive investigation to determine the cause of the rupture, despite missing the key piece of evidence.

'This was an unusual and challenging investigation as the key piece of evidence, the ruptured cylinder, was ejected from the plane and is at the bottom of the South China Sea,' Mr Dolan said.

'Since we didn't have the ruptured cylinder, we exhaustively tested and evaluated identical cylinders, including cylinders from the same manufacturing batch. Through these tests we did not identify any aspect of the cylinder design or manufacture that could pose a threat.

'As well, the published maintenance procedures were found to be valid and thorough, and inspection regimes appropriate. The investigation also found no record of any other related instances of aviation oxygen cylinder rupture.

'Given the widespread and long-term use of this type of cylinder, it was clear that this occurrence was a unique event.

'In light of the investigation's findings, it is our view that the risk of a similar rupture and consequent aircraft damage remains extremely remote.'

The ATSB investigation report, released today, also provides safety advice for operators and organisations involved with aviation oxygen cylinders and operators of pressurised passenger transport aircraft. This advice included improving aircraft passenger briefings to ensure passengers are able to readily use emergency oxygen supply when required. This has already been addressed by Qantas.

On Monday 22 November, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) will hold a media briefing to accompany the release of its final investigation report into the 25 July 2008 occurrence onboard Qantas Flight QF30. The occurrence involved an oxygen cylinder rupture 55 minutes into a flight from Hong Kong to Melbourne.

ATSB Chief Commissioner Mr Martin Dolan will outline the investigation process and provide insight into the findings of the investigation.

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

Time: report available from 10.30am, 11.00am start (AEDT), Monday, 22 November 2010

Printed copies of the investigation report will be available at the briefing.

A booklet released today by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) reminds pilots of their responsibilities and the precautions they need to observe around aerodromes which do not have air traffic control towers.

"Generally, operations at non-towered aerodromes can be considered to be safe," said Martin Dolan, the Chief Commissioner of the ATSB. "Continued safety relies on all pilots maintaining awareness of their surroundings and of other aircraft, and on their flying in compliance with procedures, while being observant, courteous and cooperative."

Because Australia's population is spread so widely, most aerodromes in Australia are located in uncontrolled airspace and consequently, do not have an air traffic control presence. Instead, pilots are responsible for making themselves aware of other nearby aircraft and for maintaining separation.

Between 2003 and 2008, the ATSB was notified of 709 airspace-related safety occurrences at, or in the vicinity of non-towered aerodromes. Of these, 60 were considered serious incidents (mostly near mid-air collisions) and six accidents (four mid-air and two ground collisions). The booklet, A Pilot's Guide to staying safe in the vicinity of non-towered aerodromes, provides advice to pilots on how to avoid the risks. It provides strategies for alerting other aircraft to one's presence and maintaining awareness of other aircraft.

The guide has been released in association with a larger and more detailed report into non-towered aerodrome operations, which can also be found at www.atsb.gov.au.

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority has also released two important Civil Aviation Advisory Publications (CAAPs), to support recent changes to Civil Aviation Regulation 166 and reinforce safe flying practices in the vicinity of non-towered aerodromes.

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.