The ATSB has found that a fire on board the Singapore registered ship Java Sea on 24 May 2005 started when hot pressurised thermal oil, possibly in the form of a spray, came into contact with an un-lagged section of the thermal oil heater exhaust piping. The fire was further fuelled by the contents of oil storage tanks located near the seat of the fire. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigation found that the fixed fire extinguishing system was ineffective in extinguishing the fire because the ship's crew could not close the funnel casing ventilation dampers; the diesel generator…

The ATSB has found that the tanker, Dampier Spirit, did not have sufficient speed to safely evade a cyclone that was approaching the coast of Western Australia after its mooring hawser failed on 6 April 2006. Dampier Spirit is a floating storage and offloading tanker for the Stag oil platform near Dampier, Western Australia, that is usually attached to a mooring buoy one nautical mile from the platform. At the time of the incident, the 106 668 tonne tanker had a partial load of about 12 100 tonnes of crude oil on board. At 0958 on 6 April 2006, the ship was forced to put to sea as Cyclone…

On 1 March 2003, the Government of Timor Leste released its Preliminary report into the fatal aircraft accident near Baucau on 31 January 2003. At the request of the Government of Timor Leste, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has today posted this preliminary report on its web site. The Ilyushin IL-76TD aircraft impacted the ground near Cakung Airport, Baucau, during a landing approach. All six crew on board were fatally injured…

The ATSB has found that a collision between a freight train and motor car occurred because the flashing lights, bells and boom gates failed to operate as the train approached the level crossing. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has today released its final report into the investigation of a collision that occurred at the Chapple Street level crossing at Kalgoorlie in Western Australia on 14 May 2007. At the time of the collision the Chapple Street level crossing was controlled by flashing lights, bells and boom gates. The investigation established…

The ATSB has found that an undetected flaw, and the subsequent failure of a critical main engine component, led to the bulk carrier Enterprise being disabled in Bass Strait on 10 July 2006 and drifting for nearly three days. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigation has found that a microscopic flaw led to the failure of a main engine gudgeon pin. The investigation also found that the engine manufacturer did not provide sufficient guidance for monitoring the fatigue life of gudgeon pins and that the planning and execution of maintenance on critical items of equipment was inadequate…

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has found that heavy fog and the inappropriate speed of a truck in the conditions were the main contributors to a collision with a freight train at the Lismore Skipton Road level crossing at Lismore, Victoria on 25 May 2006. The 34 year old driver of the truck was fatally injured in the accident which closed the main Adelaide to Melbourne rail line for a period of six days with the total damage bill estimated at $13.5 million. The collision occurred when the truck drove into the side of the second locomotive while the train was on the level crossing.…

ATSB analysis shows that an increase in reported airline accident and incident data since 2001 is mainly due to industry expansion, and the rates of many types of occurrence have fallen. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau research report released today covered more serious airline Immediately reportable Matters in the 5 years from mid 2001 to mid 2006. Despite the increased activity in scheduled public transport operations, the number of…

An ATSB research report released today examines the problem of spatial disorientation. Flying an aircraft is a challenging activity that exposes pilots to many potential hazards. One of the most significant of these is spatial disorientation. Spatial disorientation is a condition where the pilot is unable to correctly interpret aircraft attitude, altitude or airspeed in relation to the Earth. The resulting disorientation can lead to a loss of control of the aircraft. Spatial disorientation is a very common problem. It is vitally important that pilots are…

The ATSB has found that a leakage of dangerous goods on board the Liberian registered container ship Kota Pahlawan, off the coast of Australia, on 16 June 2006, occurred because the dangerous goods were not packaged properly. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigation found that packaging deficiencies in similar past shipments of xanthates, the dangerous goods being shipped, were commonplace but not reported. It was also found that Kota Pahlawan transited the northern part of the Great Barrier Reef Inner…

The ATSB has found that a TransAdelaide passenger train passed a red stop signal last year, which placed it on a collision course with an interstate passenger train because of a combination of human error and sub-optimal procedures. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has today released its final report into the investigation of the factors that contributed to TransAdelaide passenger train H307 passing signal 161, at the end of a platform at Adelaide Railway Station, while it was displaying a red stop aspect, (an event commonly referred to as 'Signal…