Safety issue

Safety issue description

Heston MRO did not track the work-related hours of personnel with dual management and operational roles (including the licenced aircraft maintenance engineer) for fatigue calculation purposes. Therefore, there was an increased risk of a fatigue related incident involving those personnel.
Issue number AO-2022-032-SI-02
Issue owner Heston MRO
Transport function Aviation: Air transport
Issue status Closed – Adequately addressed
Date issue released 15/03/2024
Issue status justification

The ATSB recognises the safety improvements made by Heston MRO with the implementation of a regional manager that does not include the dual role of the LAME maintenance authority certification requirements. Further, now that Heston MRO is tracking the hours of its entire operational work force in accordance with its policies and procedures, the ATSB is satisfied that the safety issue has been adequately addressed. 

Safety action

Action type Proactive action
Action number AO-2022-032-PSA-02
Organisation Heston MRO
Action description

In January 2024, Heston MRO advised they had taken the following safety action: 

  • They have employed an independent regional manager who will not hold a maintenance authority within the organisation. The intention of the business is to reduce reliance on dual function managers and LAMEs. 
  • There was a policy change that required salaried staff (such as the regional manager/LAME) to supply a timesheet with start and finish times so that accurate fatigue management calculations could be conducted in accordance with the Heston MRO fatigue management framework. 
Action status Closed