Our preferred method of contact for media is via email: media@atsb.gov.au

Alternatively during regular Australian business hours call our media line: 1800 020 616
(International call +61 2 6257 2463)

We will respond to media inquiries outside of business hours at times of significant transport safety accidents and emergencies.

Australia’s aviation industry has a world-leading safety reporting culture. This is the result of many pilots and flight crew openly reporting incidents and accidents to the ATSB – sharing knowledge and information for the continual improvement of aviation safety.

All accidents and incidents are reportable to the ATSB under the Transport Safety Investigation Act 2003. The ATSB receives on average around 17,000 aviation occurrence reports every year from pilots and flight crew. Information provided with these occurrences are recorded in a database, and are used for the sole purpose of improving aviation safety.

When lodging an accident or incident notification, the pilot or flight crew involved may have their Aviation Reference Number (ARN) recorded in the occurrence information retained by the ATSB. In the absence of further analysis of the occurrence, retaining information about an individual present at the time of an occurrence does not mean they contributed to the occurrence happening. In contrast, having identifying information in relation to multiple occurrences can be indicative of an individual who is safety orientated and willing to report.

It is important to note the ATSB does not investigate for the purpose of taking administrative, regulatory or criminal action. It it is not a function of the ATSB to apportion blame or provide a means for determining liability.

Requesting an Aviation Incident Reporting Summary

To receive an Aviation Incident Reporting Summary covering information referencing you in an occurrence, an ARN holder must submit a completed Aviation Incident Reporting Summary Request form. The form must be submitted by the individual to whom the information relates and it must be accompanied by a certified true copy of the applicant's licence. The copy must be certified by a person prescribed under the Statutory Declarations Regulations 1993(Opens in a new tab/window) and be annotated as follows: I certify this to be a true copy of the original sighted by me.

The certification must include the name and signature of the person certifying the copy, together with the prescribed capacity, under the Statutory Declarations Regulations 1993, in which they are doing so.

A request for an Aviation Incident Reporting Summary will normally be actioned within five working days from the date the application is received by the ATSB.

Requests for an Aviation Incident Reporting Summary will not be accepted from parties other than the identified flight crew licence ARN holder. Similarly, the result of the check will only be provided directly to the applicant.

Submit an online Aviation Incident Reporting Summary request form.

Limitations on use

The ATSB considers the use of the information provided in an Aviation Incident Reporting Summary inappropriate for all purposes other than the improvement of aviation safety.

The ATSB strongly advises against the use of an Aviation Incident Reporting Summary for employment selection purposes, as the involvement, or a lack of involvement, in safety occurrences does not truly qualify an individual’s airmanship. 

If applying for a position overseas and the organisation wants a letter of verification of your flight crew licence, as the issuer of your licence, CASA can issue a Flight Crew Licence (FCL) Verification Letter.

Legal limitations

In accordance with the applicant's rights under the Privacy Act 1988(Opens in a new tab/window), the ATSB will take all reasonable steps to assist with requests for an Aviation Incident Reporting Summary. The Commonwealth of Australia, and the ATSB, do not accept any liability if a person is inaccurately identified or the information contains other errors of fact or interpretation.

Request an Aviation Incident Reporting Summary

Submit an online Aviation Incident Reporting Summary request form.

Information on ATSB investigation levels can be found here: Occurrence investigation levels | ATSB

Known colloquially as the 'Crash Comic', the 150 issues of the Aviation Safety Digest provided valuable information and advice to help promote aviation safety in Australia.

The digest was published by ATSB predecessor agencies, the Department of Civil Aviation's Accident Investigation and Analysis Branch, which became the Air Safety Investigation Branch, and then the Bureau of Air Safety Investigation, from 1953 to 1986. It was then published by the Department of Aviation through to 1988 and then the Civil Aviation Authority through until 1991.

Scanned copies of the Digest were made available on the ATSB website in 2018 in the interest of preserving history and making accessible the many still-relevant safety lessons contained within.

This Corporate Plan sets out the ATSB’s purpose – to improve transport safety – and its strategies for achieving that purpose. The Plan also sets out the ATSB’s key deliverables and associated performance criteria. It has been prepared consistent with paragraph 35(1)(b) of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 and the relevant provisions of the Transport Safety Investigation Act 2003 (the TSI Act), which establishes the ATSB. It also incorporates the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport’s Statement of Expectations (SOE) as notified under Section 12AE of the TSI Act.

The TSI Act provides that the ATSB’s primary purpose is to improve the safety of aviation, rail and marine transport through accident investigation, data analysis and safety education. It must do so independently while cooperating with the other organisations that share responsibility for transport safety, including counterpart organisations in other countries. Successive governments have indicated that, in carrying out its role, the ATSB should give priority to the safety of the travelling public.

To accomplish its primary purpose, the ATSB must take into account the known and projected environmental challenges associated with continuing growth, emerging technologies and safety trends across the aviation, rail and marine transport sectors. In response, the ATSB is preparing a Vision Statement 2025 that will provide a roadmap for the ATSB into the future, driving safety action in a rapidly changing transport environment. I will release the Vision Statement during the current year.  

In my capacity as Chief Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer, I am fully committed to maintaining the ATSB’s reputation as a world leading safety investigation body. Consistent with this commitment, I will work collaboratively with the relevant authorities to ensure the ATSB is appropriately resourced to fulfil its legislative duties and positioned to meet the expectations of our stakeholders and the broader travelling public.