Pratt & Whitney Canada PW118A, Engine s/n 115120 INTRODUCTION Airnorth Regional experienced operational problems with a Pratt and Whitney Canada PW118A engine (engine s/n PC-E 115120). The problems ranged from hung starts resulting in aborted hot starts to vibration (sub-idle vibration) and noise from the high-pressure (HP) rotor. These problems occurred over a period of several days. In order to resolve the problems, the engine was removed from the aircraft to allow further investigation through disassembly. Disassembly revealed that the bolted joint between the HP turbine disk and…

The objectives of this draft report are to: Provide objective, statistical measures of the safety of Australian aviation (excluding sport and military) Provide a document that highlights broad trends and developments that have occurred in aviation safety Provide a document that offers a basis to compare aspects of Australian aviation safety against the safety of aviation in other countries Deliver the above utilising a process that is acceptable to stakeholders. Data concerning aviation activity, the aviation industry and aviation accidents were collected from four main sources. Data are…

Time and again, fatigue has been a major factor in marine incidents and the collision described below is a perfect example of the effects of fatigue. It is a matter of sheer luck that more fishermen have not been killed as a result of fatigue-related accidents.

The purpose of this publication is to provide an overview of level crossing accident fatalities in Australia.

Light utility helicopters made up half the fleet of registered helicopters in Australia yet were involved in 72 per cent of helicopter accidents between January 1985 and December 2003. This report compared the relative safety of four light utility helicopter models. These are the: Robinson R22, 47G (made variously by Bell Helicopter Company, Agusta SPA Costruzioni or Kawasaki Heavy Industries), 269 (made by Hughes Helicopters or Schweizer Aircraft Corporation) and Hiller UH-12E. These helicopters are primarily single engine, reciprocating engine aircraft and the demand for them in Australia…

October Audit Report of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) of Australia (Field work conducted in Canberra, 31 May to 4 June 2004). Executive Summary The ICAO audit team commended the positive and professional approach of the ATSB in proactively seeking the audit. The team was highly satisfied with the legislative and organizational framework established by Australia and the ATSB enabling the conduct of aircraft accident and incident investigations. Nevertheless, the audit focussed on all areas related to accident and incident investigation and found possible areas of improvement.…

When fishing in waters off the Australian coast, fishermen will encounter large trading ships. Unfortunately, sometimes ships and fishing vessels collide. The ATSB has investigated 21 of these collisions since 1990. In two collisions investigated, the skippers of the fishing vessels were trapped in their wheelhouses and drowned when the vessels sank. The investigations have revealed that in almost all the collisions, there were similar factors present which contributed to the accident and precautions had not been taken that may have saved a life or at least aided the search for survivors.

The ATSB Annual Review 2003 documents ATSB's achievements and safety activities from 1 July 2002 to 30 June 2003 and outlines its business planning for 2003-2004 Executive Director's message During 2002-03, the ATSB assisted the Minister for Transport and Regional Services with new legislation to enable the Bureau to investigate rail accidents on the increasingly important interstate system. The Transport Safety Investigation Act 2003 (TSI Act) also updates and harmonises the Bureau's aviation and marine investigative powers. The Transport Safety Investigation Regulations 2003 were also…

The purpose of this publication is to examine trends in the numbers of transport accident deaths in Australia in the 1980s and 1990s in the light of the most recent comparable data from most other countries that are members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Overall, the data indicate that in the period from 1980 to 1999 Australia's transport safety improvement compared favourably with that of other OECD countries and performance reached OECD median levels in the 1990s. Data for this publication have been obtained from the World Health Organisations Mortality…

The adequacy of MBZ procedures to ensure the safety of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR), Regular Public Transport (RPT) and charter aircraft has been questioned several times since their inception in 1991. The former Bureau of Air Safety Investigation (BASI) recommended in 1993 that, to enhance safety within MBZs (then called MTAFs), areas such as pilot education and training, along with stricter surveillance and enforcement of procedural compliance, be reviewed. BASI further recommended in 1997 that options for pilots to confirm the correct operation of communication equipment be examined. The…