Date Issue Released
Issue number
Issue Owner
Airservices Australia, Australian Maritime Safety Authority
Safety issue title
Provision of assistance to aircraft in distress
Safety Issue Description

Though airborne search and rescue service providers were regularly tasked to provide assistance to pilots in distress, there was limited specific guidance on the conduct of such assistance.

Date issue released
Mode of Transport
Aviation
Transport Function
Aviation: Other
Issue number
Issue Owner
Wyndham City Council
Safety issue title
Escape or refuge areas
Safety Issue Description

There is no available refuge or escape area within the traffic island at the northbound exit of the level crossing.

Date issue released
Mode of Transport
Rail
Transport Function
Rail: Infrastructure
Issue number
Issue Owner
Queensland Rail Limited
Safety issue title
Buffer stop design criterion
Safety Issue Description

The mass of the two IMU or SMU class train units travelling on the Cleveland line was commonly heavier than the design specification of the buffer stop at Cleveland station. It is probable that Queensland Rail’s risk management systems did not consider this design criterion for these train configurations arriving at Cleveland station.

Date issue released
Mode of Transport
Rail
Transport Function
Rail: Other
Issue number
Issue Owner
Tiger Airways Australia Pty Ltd
Safety issue title
Tiger Airways Australia Pty Ltd documentation discrepancies
Safety Issue Description

The Tiger Airways Australia Pty Ltd documentation and training package relating to the Avalon airspace structure and night visual approach guidance contained incorrect material and omissions that increased the risk of confusion and misunderstanding by flight crews.

Date issue released
Mode of Transport
Aviation
Transport Function
Aviation: Air transport
Issue number
Issue Owner
Metro Trains / Wyndham City Council
Safety issue title
Level crossing length
Safety Issue Description

The level crossing is longer than necessary. Shortening it would reduce the amount of time that a vehicle spends within the crossing and improve the visual information available to motorists when assessing their ability to clear the crossing.

Date issue released
Mode of Transport
Rail
Transport Function
Rail: Infrastructure
Issue number
Issue Owner
Wyndham City Council
Safety issue title
Pedestrian traffic light coordination
Safety Issue Description

The Market Street pedestrian crossing traffic lights do not effectively coordinate with the level crossing equipment. When these lights are operating, vehicles can be forced to queue through the roundabout and thus block traffic that is attempting to exit the level crossing while a train is approaching.

Date issue released
Mode of Transport
Rail
Transport Function
Rail: Infrastructure
Issue number
Issue Owner
Metro Trains
Safety issue title
Visual cues
Safety Issue Description

Once within the level crossing there are no readily visible cues (like short range lights) to alert a driver that the level crossing protection system is operating.

Date issue released
Mode of Transport
Rail
Transport Function
Rail: Infrastructure
Issue number
Issue Owner
Airservices Australia
Safety issue title
Air traffic services procedures
Safety Issue Description

The Manual of Air Traffic Services differed from the Civil Aviation Safety Regulation Part 172 Manual of Standards concerning the requirements for issuing a night visual approach to an instrument flight rules aircraft, increasing the risk of ambiguity in the application of these requirements by controllers.

Date issue released
Mode of Transport
Aviation
Transport Function
Airspace
Issue number
Issue Owner
Airservices Australia
Safety issue title
Procedures to establish separation assurance
Safety Issue Description

There was no documented procedure for assuring the separation of aircraft departing from Sydney with parachute operations at Richmond, increasing the likelihood that Sydney Terminal Control Unit controllers would have differing expectations as to their control and coordination requirements in respect of these operations.

Date issue released
Mode of Transport
Aviation
Transport Function
Airspace
Issue number
Issue Owner
Airservices Australia
Safety issue title
Drop clearance indication procedures
Safety Issue Description

Local and national air traffic control procedures did not prescribe the means for controllers to indicate in the air traffic control system that a parachute drop clearance had been issued.

Date issue released
Mode of Transport
Aviation
Transport Function
Airspace
Issue number
Issue Owner
Fukujin Kisen and all other operators
Safety issue title
Failure to keep a proper lookout
Safety Issue Description

In the past 25 years the ATSB and its predecessor have investigated 39 collisions between trading ships and smaller vessels on the Australian coast. These investigations have all concluded that there was a failure of the watchkeepers on board one or both vessels to keep a proper lookout and that there was an absence of early and appropriate action to avoid the collision.

Date issue released
Mode of Transport
Marine
Transport Function
Marine: Shipboard operations
Issue number
Issue Owner
Civil Aviation Safety Authority
Safety issue title
Requirements for visual flight rules flights in dark night conditions
Safety Issue Description

Aerial work and private flights were permitted under the visual flight rules in dark night conditions, which are effectively the same as instrument meteorological conditions, but without sufficient requirements for proficiency checks and recent experience to enable flight solely by reference to the flight instruments.

Issue Status
Closed – Partially addressed
Date issue released
Mode of Transport
Aviation
Transport Function
Aviation: General aviation
Issue number
Issue Owner
Pacific National
Safety issue title
Training for coach/tutor drivers
Safety Issue Description

Pacific National Bulk Rail does not provide coach/tutor drivers with sufficient training and direction as to how to perform their role.

Date issue released
Mode of Transport
Rail
Transport Function
Rail: Freight
Issue number
Issue Owner
Pacific National
Safety issue title
SPAD strategy
Safety Issue Description

Pacific National’s SPAD strategy focuses on individual crew actions and the costs of SPADs, rather than developing integrated error tolerant systems of work with regard for the broader systemic issues known to contribute to SPAD events.

Date issue released
Mode of Transport
Rail
Transport Function
Rail: Freight
Issue number
Issue Owner
Pacific National
Safety issue title
Fatigue management system
Safety Issue Description

Pacific National's fatigue management system is over-reliant on the use of a bio-mathematical model to predict individual fatigue risk, being based principally on rostered work hours without due consideration to higher level fatigue risk management strategies.

Date issue released
Mode of Transport
Rail
Transport Function
Rail: Freight
Issue number
Issue Owner
Pacific National
Safety issue title
Fatigue management training
Safety Issue Description

Pacific National Bulk Rail division did not provide training on fatigue management to the driver.

Date issue released
Mode of Transport
Rail
Transport Function
Rail: Freight
Issue number
Issue Owner
Civil Aviation Safety Authority
Safety issue title
Requirements for visual flight rule flights in dark night conditions
Safety Issue Description

Aerial work and private flights were permitted under the visual flight rules in dark night conditions, which are effectively the same as instrument meteorological conditions, but without sufficient requirements for proficiency checks and recent experience to enable flight solely by reference to the flight instruments.

Issue Status
Closed – Partially addressed
Date issue released
Mode of Transport
Aviation
Transport Function
Aviation: General aviation
Issue number
Issue Owner
Civil Aviation Safety Authority
Safety issue title
Requirements for autopilots in dark night conditions
Safety Issue Description

Helicopter flights were permitted under the visual flight rules in dark night conditions, which are effectively the same as instrument meteorological conditions, but without the same requirements for autopilots and similar systems that are in place for conducting flights under the instrument flight rules.

Date issue released
Mode of Transport
Aviation
Transport Function
Aviation: General aviation
Issue number
Issue Owner
The operator of the helicopter
Safety issue title
Operator’s processes for managing operations
Safety Issue Description

Although some of the operator’s risk controls for the conduct of night visual flight rules flights were in excess of the regulatory requirements, the operator did not effectively manage the risk associated with operations in dark night conditions.

Issue Status
No longer relevant
Date issue released
Mode of Transport
Aviation
Transport Function
Aviation: General aviation
Issue number
Issue Owner
Owner of the aircraft landing area (ALA)
Safety issue title
Airfield marking
Safety Issue Description

The aircraft landing area did not have clearly defined threshold markings making the mown undershoot area difficult to distinguish from the airstrip.

Date issue released
Mode of Transport
Aviation
Transport Function
Aircraft Maintenance