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…

In 2007 the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) produced the inaugural edition of Australian Aviation Safety in Review as part of the ATSB's role to enhance public awareness of aviation safety. The Review has been developed to provide a readily accessible analysis of the Australian aviation sector, with a strong focus on safety trends. This publication covers all major categories of aircraft operations, from regular public transport (RPT) to general aviation (GA), and includes some information about sports aviation. Demographic and activity data on Australian aviation is provided in…

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…

This report analyses birdstrikes reported to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau between 2002 and 2006. In Australia, over the last five years, the number of birdstrike occurrences reported annually to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has risen from approximately 750 in 2002 to 1,200 in 2006. The report includes bird and bat strikes that occurred in Australian territory involving VH- and overseas registered aircraft. It excludes strikes involving non VH-registered Australian aircraft and those involving VH-registered aircraft that occurred overseas. Birdstrikes were analysed…

Maintenance is essential to aviation safety, yet improper maintenance contributes to a significant proportion of aviation accidents and incidents. This is because a small percentage of maintenance tasks are performed incorrectly or are omitted due to human error. Examples include parts installed incorrectly, missing parts, and the omission of necessary checks. While precise statistics are unavailable, it is likely that the great majority of maintenance errors are inconsequential, however, a small proportion present significant safety threats. In comparison to many other threats to aviation…

This report provides aviation accident and incident, collectively termed occurrence, data for the period 1 January 1998 to 31 December 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 excludes non-VH registered operations in the sport aviation category, and is current as at 31 December 2008. The data will be adjusted quarterly to reflect new information received during the reporting period. Aviation Statistics Usage Survey: The purpose of this survey is to…

This study reviewed safety trends in the Australian aviation charter industry for the period 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2006. It builds on a previous descriptive study that reviewed immediately reportable matters (IRMs) for regular public transport (RPT) aviation operations. Together, charter and RPT operations make up the air transport sector in Australia. Similar to the previous report, a subset of generally more serious IRMs were reviewed including: accidents; violations of controlled airspace (VCA); breakdowns of separation (BOS) and airproxes; fire, smoke, explosions or fumes; crew…