Sikorsky S76 Helicopter, VH-EXX 1. FACTUAL INFORMATION 1.1 Introduction A Sikorsky S76C helicopter (VH-EXX) sustained a failure of the number-two engine during cruise flight. The failed engine was a Turbomeca Arriel 1S1 turboshaft engine, serial number 15038 and had accumulated 7,935 hours and 6,784 cycles since new. Reports from the flight crew indicated that the engine failure was associated with a loss of gas-generator turbine speed and an escalation of turbine outlet temperatures. Fire warnings for the engine were also received, prompting the pilot commanded shutdown of the engine and…

Australia has an excellent air transport safety record. Major Australian airlines have long been regarded as being among the world's safest, and there have been no fatalities involving an Australian high-capacity jet aircraft. This enviable record is due, in part, to an aviation safety culture that recognises the need for constant safety awareness. Given the commercial pressures facing international aviation, the events described in this report should be seen as a learning experience for the aviation industry, regulatory bodies, and all organisations concerned with continuing airworthiness…

On 30 October 2001, the University of Queensland Department of Mechanical Engineering (UQ), launched an experimental supersonic-combustion ram jet (scramjet) payload via a two-stage solid-fuel rocket that was provided by Astrotech Space Operations Inc (Astrotech). The rocket was launched from the Woomera Prohibited Area in northern South Australia, that was operated by the Department of Defence (DoD). The planned flight was to validate data obtained in the hypersonic wind tunnel at the UQ facilities. The launch occurred at 1301 Australian Central Summer Time and according to observers and…

The ATSB Annual Review 2002 documents ATSB's achievements and safety activities from 1 July 2001 to 30 June 2002 and outlines its business planning for 2002-2003. Executive Directors message The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has made significant progress since it began on 1 July 1999 as an operationally independent body within the Commonwealth Department of Transport and Regional Services (DOTARS). During 2001-02, the ATSB assisted the Minister for Transport and Regional Services to develop new legislation that would enable the Bureau to investigate rail accidents on the increasingly…

Boeing 767-238, VH-EAQ EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The left engine of a Boeing 767-238 aircraft (VH-EAQ) failed during the climb phase of a regular passenger transport flight from Melbourne to Sydney. After the failure, which was characterised by a single loud 'bang' and severe vibration, the engine was shut down and the aircraft returned to Melbourne. Engineering inspections of the JT9D-7R4 engine found that one of the fan blades had failed part-way along its length and impacted the fan case at the 11 o'clock position, causing the failure of several nose-cowl bolts and substantial damage to components…

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report follows a previous report published by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) in 2003 on airspace-related occurrences titled Airspace-Related Occurrences Involving Regular Public Transport and Charter Aircraft within Mandatory Broadcast Zones. The 2003 report provided a detailed examination of the ATSB's accident and incident data for airspace-related occurrences in Mandatory Broadcast Zones (MBZs), between 1994 and 2001. In recognition of changes in traffic levels, occurrence reporting rates and the classification of incidents following the enactment of…

The research paper examined fatal accidents and fatalities involving civil aviation aircraft in Australian airspace between 1990 and 2005. The purpose of the paper was to provide accurate data to industry and the public by identifying key trends and characteristics. Specifically, the objectives of the paper were to: identify trends for fatal accidents and fatalities from 1990 to 2005, examine the number of fatal accidents from 1990 to 2005 by pilot licence type, type of operation, level of proficiency, and aircraft weight, and examine the number of fatalities from 1990 to 2005 by pilot…

Following the grounding of large numbers of piston-engine aircraft across eastern Australia in early January 2000 as a consequence of using contaminated aviation gasoline (Avgas), the Australian Transport Safety Bureau initiated a major safety deficiency investigation into the circumstances of the contamination. Guidance for the investigation was subsequently provided in the form of Terms of Reference, which stated that the investigation was being widened to examine the following: the existing standards for aviation gasoline; the details of risk analyses undertaken prior to and during the…

Boeing 747-438, VH-OJJ EXECUTIVE SUMMARY On 24 April 2001, a Boeing 747-400, VH-OJJ, experienced the loss of both left and right combustion fairing panels from the number three engine during take-off on a flight from Sydney to Los Angeles. The fairing panels were ejected forcefully from the bypass duct of the engine, causing minor localised damage to the duct internal surfaces and the trailing edge of the centre wing flap section. Examination by the Technical Analysis unit showed the damage to be consistent with fairing mis-installation, whereby the hooks on the right panel were not engaged…

In June 2006, the ATSB released an aviation research investigation report titled Wire-strike Accidents in General Aviation: Data Analysis 1994 to 2004. Since the publication of this report the ATSB has received additional information from key industry stakeholders. As a result, the ATSB has made some revisions to the report to incorporate this advice. Furthermore, a discrepancy was also identified in one of the tables, which has since been updated. Accordingly, the information contained in the report may differ slightly from that contained in the initial report. Wire strikes are a significant…