The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has received international recognition for outstanding work in its Investigation into Ansett Australia maintenance safety deficiencies and the control of continuing airworthiness of Class A aircraft report. In Washington earlier this week, the prestigious Flight Safety Foundation 2003 Cecil A Brownlow Publication Award went to the ATSB for extraordinary efforts in identifying, investigating and reporting on a systemic problem affecting aviation safety worldwide. The ATSB's report, released in November 2002, highlighted that a robust system for…

Partnerships & Cooperation in an Environment of Resource Constraints & Security Imperatives There is a tension between independent safety investigation with accident site control and other legitimate investigation that entails cooperation Also, resource constraints affect most States The tension is exacerbated by growth of security in terms of resources and uncertainty whether an event is the result of unlawful interference Cooperation with other investigations with appropriate boundaries will be critical, also bilateral and regional partnerships/MOUs <?UMBRACO_MACRO attachment="…

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has been advised of a fatal aviation accident involving a Piper Seneca aircraft, VH-CTT which occurred at Bankstown Airport at about 12.52 (AEDST) today. At this point in time details available to the Bureau are sketchy. A team of Transport Safety Investigators is enroute to Bankstown and is expected to arrive on-site this evening. Any further Information as to the Bureau's involvement will be released as it becomes available. Witnesses to this accident are asked to call the Bureau on 1800 020 616

The ATSB supports safety recommendations the SA Coroner has made today that reinforce those by the ATSB, but disagrees with some of the Coroner's key conclusions. The ATSB formally re-opened its investigation in November last year after possible significant new evidence about a potential manufacturing defect in the left engine crankshaft became available from the US engine manufacturer (Textron Lycoming) - the ATSB has since re-tested the crankshaft, including using destructive testing open to non-Bureau witnesses and the input of external laboratories, and found no problems with the steel…

The supplementary ATSB investigation report into the Whyalla Airlines fatal accident tabled in the Senate today confirms the likelihood of the ATSB's accident scenario in its December 2001 report in contrast to the findings of the SA State Coroner in July 2003. In November last year the ATSB formally re-opened its investigation into the VH-MZK accident after possible significant new evidence about a potential manufacturing defect in the left engine crankshaft steel became available from the US engine manufacturer: - ATSB re-testing of the crankshaft, including using independently witnessed…

The ATSB's report into the Epping rail accident reinforces the limitations of reliance on automatic train stops and 'deadman's handle' devices in the event of driver incapacitation and highlights the importance of improving these defences as well as medical standards and processes for train crew. The sole purpose of ATSB investigations is to improve future safety and the Bureau acknowledges the safety actions taken through the Victorian Department of Infrastructure as a result of ATSB's investigation such as reviewing signalling systems and defences, developing new medical standards and…

Presentation given by Mr Kym Bills, Executive Director Australian Transport Safety Bureau Department of Transport and Regional Services Speech presented 7 Aug 2006 <?UMBRACO_MACRO attachment="1607" macroAlias="AttachmentLink" />

The increasing cooperation between Australian transport safety investigators and their counterparts from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), has been recognised by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding this morning. The Memorandum was signed by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) and the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC), representing 12 Independent States: Azerbaidjan, Armenia, Belorus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmena, Uzbekistan and Ukraine. This agreement sets out protocols for the sharing of expertise and…

Speech given to International Transport Safety Association by Kym Bills Executive Director, Australian Transport Safety Bureau 15 May 2007

Rail 2007, Sydney NSW, 3 April 2007