Under the provisions of the Transport Safety Investigation Act 2003, ATSB investigators may interview anyone involved directly or indirectly in a transport safety occurrence. Individuals not directly involved in a particular accident or incident may also be interviewed regarding certain operations or processes within an organisation. ATSB interviews It is ATSB policy to electronically record interviews wherever possible. Electronically recorded interviews ensure both parties have access to an accurate record of what was discussed for later reference. Recording also allows investigators to…

The Aviation Short Investigation Bulletin covers a range of the ATSB’s short investigations and highlights valuable safety lessons for pilots, operators and safety managers. Released periodically, the Bulletin provides a summary of the less-complex factual investigation reports conducted by the ATSB. The results, based on information supplied by organisations or individuals involved in the occurrence, detail the facts behind the event, as well as any safety actions undertaken. The Bulletin also highlights important Safety Messages for the broader aviation community, drawing on earlier ATSB…

The ATSB has been advised that the hours flown data provided by the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE) and used for the calculation of occurrence rates by aircraft type, may have been under-reported for some aircraft types used in charter operations. The ATSB is awaiting new hours flown data from BITRE and will update the reports accordingly when this data is available. Why the ATSB did this research This is the first in a series of research investigations looking at technical failures reported to the ATSB between 2008 and 2012. This report reviews power plant…

Background At the request of the Malaysian Government, Australia is leading the search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in the Indian Ocean. The search is a complex operation that involves vast areas with only limited data and aircraft flight information available. Over-water searches Over-water aircraft accident locations are usually found by conducting a broad-area aerial search. The search area is generally determined by a combination of: Position information from ground-based radar systems (maximum range is generally 250 NM) Position information automatically transmitted from…

The Aviation Short Investigation Bulletin covers a range of the ATSB’s short investigations and highlights valuable safety lessons for pilots, operators and safety managers. Released periodically, the Bulletin provides a summary of the less-complex factual investigation reports conducted by the ATSB. The results, based on information supplied by organisations or individuals involved in the occurrence, detail the facts behind the event, as well as any safety actions undertaken. The Bulletin also highlights important Safety Messages for the broader aviation community, drawing on earlier ATSB…

The Aviation Short Investigation Bulletin covers a range of the ATSB’s short investigations and highlights valuable safety lessons for pilots, operators and safety managers. Released periodically, the Bulletin provides a summary of the less-complex factual investigation reports conducted by the ATSB. The results, based on information supplied by organisations or individuals involved in the occurrence, detail the facts behind the event, as well as any safety actions undertaken. The Bulletin also highlights important Safety Messages for the broader aviation community, drawing on earlier ATSB…

This report was updated on 23 October 2014 with revised hours flown data used for the calculation of occurrence rates by aircraft type.  Why did we do this research This study has been undertaken in order to further understanding of the nature and impact of fumes and smoke related occurrences in relation to the safety of aircraft operations in Australia and, in doing so, evaluate associated data availability and suitability. This report also addresses recommendations from a 2011 report commissioned by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) by an Expert Panel on Aircraft Air Quality…

The Aviation Short Investigation Bulletin covers a range of the ATSB’s short investigations and highlights valuable safety lessons for pilots, operators and safety managers. Released periodically, the Bulletin provides a summary of the less-complex factual investigation reports conducted by the ATSB. The results, based on information supplied by organisations or individuals involved in the occurrence, detail the facts behind the event, as well as any safety actions undertaken. The Bulletin also highlights important Safety Messages for the broader aviation community, drawing on earlier ATSB…

An aircraft’s flight recorders are an invaluable tool for investigators in identifying the factors behind an accident. Recorders usually comprise two individual boxes: the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and the Flight Data Recorder (FDR). Popularly known as  ‘black boxes’, these flight recorders are in fact painted orange to help in their recovery following an accident. The Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) The CVR would be better named the ‘cockpit audio recorder’ as it provides far more than just the voices of the pilots. In fact, it creates a record of the total audio environment in the…

The Aviation Short Investigation Bulletin covers a range of the ATSB’s short investigations and highlights valuable safety lessons for pilots, operators and safety managers. Released periodically, the Bulletin provides a summary of the less-complex factual investigation reports conducted by the ATSB. The results, based on information supplied by organisations or individuals involved in the occurrence, detail the facts behind the event, as well as any safety actions undertaken. The Bulletin also highlights important Safety Messages for the broader aviation community, drawing on earlier ATSB…