Date Issue Released
Issue number
Issue Owner
Menzies Aviation
Safety issue title
Menzies audits of dispatch coordination tasks
Safety Issue Description

Menzies Aviation staff did not consistently carry out the required arrival and pre-departure aircraft checks of Malaysia Airlines aircraft, and Menzies Aviation audit processes were not effective at evaluating compliance with these requirements.

Issue Status
Closed – Adequately addressed
Date issue released
Mode of Transport
Aviation
Transport Function
Aviation: Other
Issue number
Issue Owner
Heston MRO
Safety issue title
Aircraft Maintenance Services Australia tool control
Safety Issue Description

Aircraft Maintenance Services Australia did not have a reliable method to account for tooling and equipment (such as pitot probe covers) prior to aircraft dispatch when providing non-certifying engineering support.

Issue Status
Closed – Adequately addressed
Date issue released
Mode of Transport
Aviation
Transport Function
Aircraft Maintenance
Issue number
Issue Owner
Heston MRO [Aircraft Maintenance Services Australia was rebranded as Heston MRO in February 2019.]
Safety issue title
Aircraft Maintenance Services Australia use of pitot covers
Safety Issue Description

Some Aircraft Maintenance Services Australia (AMSA) engineers extended the use of pitot probe covers (to mitigate the threat of wasp infestation) to operators that did not explicitly require it, including Malaysia Airlines. This increased the likelihood of error associated with the use of pitot probe covers was because AMSA engineers were not controlling or conducting all of the engineering activities and were not permitted to make technical log entries.

Issue Status
Closed – Adequately addressed
Date issue released
Mode of Transport
Aviation
Transport Function
Aircraft Maintenance
Issue number
Issue Owner
Heston MRO [Aircraft Maintenance Services Australia was rebranded as Heston MRO in February 2019.]
Safety issue title
Pitot probe cover characteristics
Safety Issue Description

Although suitable for use in most situations, the streamers attached to the pitot probe covers supplied and used for A330 operations by Aircraft Maintenance Services Australia provided limited conspicuity due to their overall length, position above eye height, and limited movement in wind. This reduced the likelihood of incidental detection of the covers, which is important during turnarounds.

Issue Status
Closed – Adequately addressed
Date issue released
Mode of Transport
Aviation
Transport Function
Aviation: Air transport
Issue number
Issue Owner
Airbus
Safety issue title
Alerts associated with nil or unreliable airspeed during take-off
Safety Issue Description

In the Airbus A330, there was no auditory alert associated with nil or unreliable airspeed from two or more sources during take-off (a high workload, critical phase of flight). Comparatively, other critical failures provide both visual and auditory indications.

Issue Status
Open – Safety action pending
Date issue released
Mode of Transport
Aviation
Transport Function
Aviation: Air transport
Issue number
Issue Owner
Airbus
Safety issue title
Instruction and guidance for unreliable airspeed on take-off
Safety Issue Description

The Airbus guidance provided in the flight crew techniques manual and other manuals for helping A330 flight crews decide whether to continue or reject a take-off did not refer to unreliable airspeed indications.

Issue Status
Closed – Adequately addressed
Date issue released
Mode of Transport
Aviation
Transport Function
Aviation: Air transport
Issue number
Issue Owner
Safran Landing Systems
Safety issue title
Crack initiated during manufacture
Safety Issue Description

During the manufacture of the apex pin, the initial machined profile led to unintended stress concentrations at the quench stage of the material heat treatment process that resulted in the part cracking. The crack was not removed by the final machining process.

Issue Status
Closed – Adequately addressed
Date issue released
Mode of Transport
Aviation
Transport Function
Aviation: Other
Issue number
Issue Owner
Civil Aviation Safety Authority
Safety issue title
Regulatory management of repeat safety findings
Safety Issue Description

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority’s acquittal process for repeat safety findings was not effective in ensuring that all previous findings of a similar nature were also appropriately assessed prior to the current and all associated safety findings being acquitted.

Issue Status
Closed – Adequately addressed
Date issue released
Mode of Transport
Aviation
Transport Function
Aviation: Air transport
Issue number
Issue Owner
Airlines of Tasmania [Par Avion]
Safety issue title
Hazard identification
Safety Issue Description

Airlines of Tasmania's safety management processes for identifying hazards extensively relied on safety reports. This limited the opportunity to proactively identify the risks in all operational activities, and assess the effectiveness of any controls in place.

Issue Status
Closed – Adequately addressed
Date issue released
Mode of Transport
Aviation
Transport Function
Aviation: Air transport
Issue number
Issue Owner
Airlines of Tasmania
Safety issue title
South-west operations guidance
Safety Issue Description

Airlines of Tasmania did not provide any documented guidance for the south-west operations, despite encouraging pilots to commence the flight, even when forecasts indicated they may be likely to encounter adverse weather en route. This resulted in the pilots having varied understanding of the expectations regarding in‑flight weather‑related decision making at the Arthur Range saddle, and increased the risk that some pilots continued into an area of high terrain in marginal conditions, where options to escape were limited.

Issue Status
Closed – Adequately addressed
Date issue released
Mode of Transport
Aviation
Transport Function
Aviation: Air transport
Issue number
Issue Owner
Sydney Trains
Safety issue title
Inconsistencies with application of fatigue management system
Safety Issue Description

There were inconsistences with Sydney Trains’ application of their fatigue management system, in particular the the use of a bio-mathematical model to predict individual fatigue risk. (Safety issue)

Issue Status
Closed – Adequately addressed
Date issue released
Mode of Transport
Rail
Transport Function
Network Operations
Issue number
Issue Owner
Sydney Trains
Safety issue title
Signaller supervision
Safety Issue Description

Sydney Trains did not provide supervision at Granville signal box to ensure there was adequate coverage on both signalling panels. (Safety issue)

Issue Status
Closed – Adequately addressed
Date issue released
Mode of Transport
Rail
Transport Function
Network Operations
Issue number
Issue Owner
Sydney Trains
Safety issue title
The ASB rule and procedure for using an alternative route
Safety Issue Description

The ASB rule NWT 308 and procedure NPR 703 did not provide sufficient description for the task of using protecting signals for an alternative route. (Safety issue)

Issue Status
Closed – Adequately addressed
Date issue released
Mode of Transport
Rail
Transport Function
Network Operations
Issue number
Issue Owner
GHD Limited
Safety issue title
Risk assessment for lifting operations
Safety Issue Description

GHD's documented risk assessment for helicopter operations did not consider the hazard of an emergency landing at the drill site. This increased the risk that ground personnel were not clear of the load pick-up area in the event an emergency landing was required.

Issue Status
Closed – Adequately addressed
Date issue released
Mode of Transport
Aviation
Transport Function
Aviation: General aviation
Issue number
Issue Owner
Encore Aviation – Aircraft maintenance provider
Safety issue title
Maintenance practices and processes
Safety Issue Description

Encore Aviation's maintenance practices and processes related to inspections, record keeping and trend monitoring, were likely inadequate to detect the potential impending failure of safety critical components.

Issue Status
Closed – Adequately addressed
Date issue released
Mode of Transport
Aviation
Transport Function
Aircraft Maintenance
Issue number
Issue Owner
Toll Aviation
Safety issue title
Guidance in the ground handling manual
Safety Issue Description

The operator's ground handling manual did not contain detailed procedural guidance for facilitating accurate redistribution of freight and ensure that an aircraft would be correctly loaded.

Date issue released
Mode of Transport
Aviation
Transport Function
Aviation: Air transport
Issue number
Issue Owner
V/Line Corporation
Safety issue title
Absence of authority-overrun protection
Safety Issue Description

The absence of authority-overrun protection (such as TPWS) at signal SST535 increased the potential consequences of a SPAD.

Issue Status
Open – Safety action pending
Date issue released
Mode of Transport
Rail
Transport Function
Rail: Passenger - regional
Issue number
Issue Owner
Textron Aviation
Safety issue title
Fatigue damage detection inspection requirements
Safety Issue Description

Following an assessment of historical data, the aircraft manufacturer, Textron Aviation, replaced a flight hour based repetitive eddy current inspection for cracking of the carry-through structure with a three-yearly visual corrosion inspection for all operation types. This significantly limited the opportunities to identify fatigue cracking within the carry-through structure of low-level survey aircraft prior to a crack reaching a critical size.

Issue Status
Open – Safety action pending
Date issue released
Mode of Transport
Aviation
Transport Function
Aviation: General aviation
Issue number
Issue Owner
Aurizon
Safety issue title
Unaware of forced lead function
Safety Issue Description

The train crew had not been trained to use forced lead function which would likely have allowed the train crew to regain control of the locomotives

Issue Status
Closed – Adequately addressed
Date issue released
Mode of Transport
Rail
Transport Function
Rail: Rolling stock
Issue number
Issue Owner
Aurizon
Safety issue title
Change of ends process is unclear
Safety Issue Description

Aurizon did not ensure train crews had a consistent understanding of how to safely change ends on banking locomotives

Issue Status
Closed – Adequately addressed
Date issue released
Mode of Transport
Rail
Transport Function
Rail: Rolling stock