Safety Issue

Sharp Airlines’ Flight crew operating manual required that:

• a terminating check be completed if the aircraft was unattended for more than 60 minutes, but did not specify what checks were to be completed on return to the aircraft
• pitot covers should be installed after the last flight of the day only, where the operator required that they be installed if the aircraft was unattended for longer than 60 minutes. 

In addition, the final visual check, completed by the first officer prior to closing the doors, did not include checking that pitot covers had been removed.

Response by Sharp Airlines

Sharp Airlines advised that it was reviewing the company standard operating procedures, expected to be completed by March 2026, to ensure clarity of process for pre-flight inspections and pitot tube cover usage.

ATSB comment

The ATSB welcomes the operator’s procedural review and will continue to monitor the safety issue to ensure the proposed action provides clarity on:

• pitot tube covers usage
• which pre-flight inspections are to be completed by flight crew when returning to the aircraft.