Aircraft depressurisation events are rare, but they can occur with little or no warning. The faster you put on your oxygen mask, the better the chance that you will stay safe and remain capable of helping children and others. Reading this safety bulletin will help ensure that you can recognise and appropriately react to an aircraft depressurisation if one should occur. Why are aircraft pressurised? Modern aircraft are designed to fly at high altitudes. (For example, large jet aircraft normally cruise at an altitude of 28,000 – 35,000 ft). This is because aircraft consume less fuel and can fly…

This report tables rail safety occurrence data by State and Territory between 1 January 2001 and 31 December 2008. Data is adjusted biannually to reflect new information that comes to light during the reporting period. There is a lag period of approximately three to four months between the end of the six-monthly reporting period and publication of this data. The data is presented as counts, and normalised using kilometres travelled and number of track kilometres. Please contact individual jurisdictions for media enquiries. Media Contacts: [PDF: 15KB]

This report tables rail safety occurrence data by state and territory between January 2001 and December 2007. Data is adjusted annually to reflect new information that comes to light during the reporting period. There is a lag period of approximately 3 to 4 months between the end of the reporting period and publication of these data. Previous versions of this publication should be discarded. These data are presented as counts and normalised using kilometres travelled and number of track kilometres. Data presented in this report conforms to Standard No. ON-S1: Occurrence Categories and…

With the creation of the ATSB in July 1999, followed by the enactment of the Transport Safety Investigation Act (TSI Act) in 2003, Australia had for the first time a national body with a mandate for professional and independent rail safety investigations. In its relatively short existence, the ATSB's rail safety unit has had a significant influence on rail safety in Australia. In particular, it has been instrumental in fostering an approach that emphasises the importance of system safety, rather than just focusing on the mistakes of operational personnel. Other notable achievements of the…

The objective of the project is to analyse GPWS warnings in Australia with a view to addressing ICAO steps (e) Investigation of GPWS warnings and (f) Reduction of unwanted warnings, of the circular AN11/1.1.1993/61. CFIT accidents are the most severe aircraft accidents. These kinds of accidents occur when an otherwise airworthy airplane is inadvertently flown into the ground or water. The number of fatalities per accident is extremely high as compared to any other type of accident. They also generally result in complete destruction of the airplane. If CFIT accidents were to be completely…

Financial year 2007-08 was in many respects a watershed year. In road safety, the November election of the Rudd Government led to the move of road safety from the ATSB to the Department proper from the end of March 2008 to better align with the new Government's priorities. While I was proud to chair the National Road Safety Strategy Panel from 1999 to 2008, the establishment of a higher level Commonwealth/State body holds the promise of making further gains in reducing the nation's unacceptably high road toll. However, I was personally sad to lose the road safety branch led by Joe Motha and…

For many decades, fibre composites have been replacing traditional aluminium structures in a wide variety of aircraft types. From the first all-composite kit plane released in 1957, composites are widespread today in commercial aircraft and many other aircraft types. This is due to the cost and weight savings that materials such as glass/phenolic and carbon/epoxy offer aircraft manufacturers over aluminium, while maintaining or surpassing its strength and durability. This study provides an overview of fibre composite use in aircraft and the issues associated with its use, with a focus on…

The ATSB released this report in June 2008. Since that time, the ATSB has received comments regarding the technical accuracy of the removal of particles from high efficiency particulate air filters (page 6 of the report). This report has been amended accordingly and contains an additional reference for readers on page 10. Every year, an increasing number of people undertake air travel. Whether for business or pleasure, these journeys should be safe and enjoyable. However, there is continuing public concern about whether, or to what extent, aircraft cabins represent an increased risk of…

The quality of a safety investigation's analysis activities plays a critical role in determining whether the investigation is successful in enhancing safety. However, safety investigations require analysis of complex sets of data and situations where the available data can be vague, incomplete and misleading. Despite its importance, complexity, and reliance on investigators' judgements, analysis has been a neglected area in terms of standards, guidance and training of investigators in most organisations that conduct safety investigations. To address this situation, the Australian Transport…

The ATSB has changed the way in which aviation statistics are presented. This report represents the first in an ongoing series of reports provided in the new format. The report encompasses a rolling 10-year reporting cycle and replaces all individual spreadsheets previously available. This report provides aviation accident and incident, collectively termed occurrence, data for the period 1 January 1998 to 30 June 2008. This data was provided to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau by 'responsible persons' as defined in the Transport Safety Investigation Regulations 2003, Part 2.5. The data…