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…

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 information bulletin is designed for cabin crew and will supplement your airline's cabin crew emergency procedures manual and should enhance your knowledge about what can occur during an aircraft depressurisation. Why are aircraft pressurised? Modern aircraft are designed to fly at high altitudes. For example, a Boeing 747 aircraft normally cruises at an altitude of 28,000 – 35,000 ft. This is because aircraft consume less fuel and fly in relatively smooth air, avoiding bad weather and turbulence. However, the human body is not designed to survive at such high…

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…

Each year, 'responsible persons', as defined in the Transport Safety Investigation Regulations 2003, Part 2.5, provide the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) with reports on aviation accidents and incidents, collectively termed occurrences. These reports are used by the ATSB to assist with the independent investigation of occurrences and for identifying safety trends. This report provides aviation occurrence data for the period 1 January 1999 to 30 June 2009. The data contained herein is dynamic and subject to change pending the provision of new information to the ATSB. The data will…

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…

Acknowledging the safety action already taken by the Operator, these measures have not solved the problem and the safety hazard remains. An update provided by the reporter indicates that an excessive number of bikes continue to be carried on these particular services and their presence creates an ongoing hazard to carriage occupants. Despite the problem persisting, it appears that the Operator has made an attempt to manage the situation by allocating human resources at the appropriate times. Additionally, the train staff have been given the authority to exercise discretion regarding the…