ATSB supplements  January – February Making safe transport even safer Safety Watch Aviation Safety Bulletin Deadline for R44 helicopter fuel tanks Safety Management Systems Sibgle-pilot flight operations must manage pilot fatigue Learning from others REPCON briefs Download ATSB supplement (January–February 2013) [PDF: 2.6MB]   March – April No blame Helicopter pilots warned of risk Fatal aircraft accident at Canley Vale Investigation briefs Thunderstorms add stress REPCON briefs Download ATSB supplement (January–February 2013) [PDF: 3.2MB]

The National Aviation Occurrence Database allows you to search for accidents and incidents that have been reported to the ATSB since 1 July 2003. You can search the database using a time period, location, type of occurrence (i.e. what happened), and type of aircraft. We regularly add new reported occurrences to ensure the database is up to date. However, depending on workload and volume of reports it may take some weeks to verify and include new occurrences. How ATSB data is collected? ATSB data is collected through the mandatory occurrence reporting requirements of the Transport Safety…

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Safety concern Navigation through confined waters under pilotage is a high-pressure situation where errors can easily lead to serious incidents.  What can you do? The clear and open exchange of information between the ship’s master and crew and the pilot is vital, both during the pilotage passage and before it even commences. This helps to ensure that all members of the bridge team have a shared mental model of the pilotage passage and, as a result, a good understanding of how it should proceed.  This pre-passage information exchange should always include:  the courses or…

Safety concern R44 helicopters with all-aluminium fuel tanks have proven susceptible to post-accident fuel leaks increasing the risk of a potentially fatal post-impact fire following a collision with terrain.  What can you do? The manufacturer has issued a Service Bulletin SB-78B requiring R44 helicopters with all-aluminium fuel tanks be retrofitted with bladder-type tanks as soon as practical, but no later than 30 April 2013. The ATSB urges all operators and owners of R44 helicopters fitted with all-aluminium fuel tanks to replace these tanks with bladder-type fuel tanks as detailed in…

Safety concern It is difficult for pilots to spot another aircraft through visual observation alone.  The ATSB often receives reports from pilots that another aircraft is flying too close to them in uncontrolled airspace. Not surprisingly, three quarters of these reports involve pilots flying within 10 nautical miles (18.5 kilometres) of a non-controlled aerodrome. Twice as many near-collisions are reported to the ATSB where pilots had no prior warning of other aircraft in their vicinity, compared with situations when a pilot received an alert by radio or a traffic alerting system like…

Safety concern The ATSB has investigated several accidents that have occurred when maintenance work was being carried out on or near railway tracks. Conducting work on or near a railway track can be dangerous if safeworking rules and procedures have not been correctly implemented to protect the worksite. Trains cannot stop quickly and any breakdown in the communication or management of a worksite can leave workers extremely vulnerable to dangerous situations. What can you do? Operational safe working on track requires a high level of preparation and organisation. Whenever there is work…

Safety concern ATSB research reveals that accidents and incidents are not always reported to the ATSB when they should be. When something goes wrong in transport safety, it is the duty of a ‘responsible person’ (defined in the Transport Safety Investigation Regulations 2003) to report it to the ATSB.    ATSB on YouTube   What can you do? As the national transport safety investigator, the ATSB is the Australian Government agency you should notify in the event of an accident or incident. While we use your notification to determine whether to investigate an occurrence, looked at…

Safety concern General aviation pilots continue to die in accidents that are mostly avoidable. The key hazards that the ATSB has found which increase the risk of an accident are: flying lower than necessary experiencing reduced visibility not being aware that the engine fuel supply is not working not recognising the implications of something going wrong. ATSB on YouTube What can you do? Low flight It is necessary to fly low for take-off and landing. The low-flying risks are managed by using circuit patterns at aerodromes, with any obstacles known, so that…

  Safety concern An increasing trend has been identified where pilots mishandle or mismanage their aircraft and flight profile when unexpected events arise during the approach to land. When compared to other phases of flight, the approach and landing has a substantially increased workload. Pilots and crew must continuously monitor aircraft and approach parameters, and the external environment to ensure they maintain a stable approach profile and make appropriate decisions for a safe landing. Unexpected developments, or any confusion about roles or procedures can contribute to decisions…