Aviation reporting requirements

For immediately reportable matters call the ATSB on 1800 011 034

For routine reportable matters, complete the ATSB's online form.

Category A (passenger transport) aircraft operations

What is included in Category A?

(1) Passenger transport operation (within the meaning of the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998 (CASR)) being an operation in an aircraft that involves the carriage of passengers^[1], whether or not cargo is also carried on the aircraft. 

• Examples include: air transport operations (scheduled or non-scheduled), balloon transport operations,^[2] mining fly-in-fly-out operations, scenic flights/joy flights, parachuting operations, future advanced air mobility passenger carrying operations, and aerial work operations that carry passengers who are not crew members.

(2) Medical transport operation (within the meaning of CASR) being an operation with the primary purpose of transporting medical patients, medical personnel, or supplies (blood, tissue etc), or an operation prescribed by CASA in the CASR Part 119 Manual of Standards as a medical transport operation.

• Examples include: flights formerly known as air ambulance operations, Royal Flying Doctor Service flights and patient transport/transfer services using aircraft operated by State and Territory ambulance services.

(3) Repositioning flights prior to conducting a substantive Category A operation (passenger transport or medical transport) will also be treated as a Category A operation for the purposes of occurrence reporting.

What is excluded from Category A?

Category A aircraft operations will not include an operation in an aircraft with a special certificate of airworthiness, or a cost-sharing flight^[3], or operation of an aircraft (where the registered operator is an individual) that carries passengers without payment or reward.

For example, if a scenic flight involves ‘cost-sharing’ – then any occurrences during that operation would be reportable under Category C (non commercial) aircraft operations. It is important to note that cost-sharing is limited to an aircraft configuration of not more than 6 seats (including pilot’s seat) and requires the pilot in command to directly contribute to equal costs for the flight.

Category B (commercial non-passenger) aircraft operations

What is included in Category B?

(1) Operation conducted for a commercial purpose – any non passenger carrying aircraft operation that is conducted for a commercial purpose will be included in Category B. A ‘commercial purpose’ is intended to have a general meaning and includes, among other things, operations conducted for hire or reward. 

• Examples include: aerial work operations such as surveying, spotting, surveillance, agricultural operations, aerial photography; search and rescue operations; flying training activities (such as training under a CASR Part 141 or CASR Part 142 training organisation).

(2) Cargo transport operation (within the meaning of CASR) being an operation of an aircraft that involves the carriage of cargo and crew only (excluding operation for the carriage of possessions of the operator, or pilot in command, for business or trade).

• Examples include: air freight, air mail, and parcel/package delivery using aircraft operated by logistics companies. 

(3) operating Type 1 RPA (defined in section 6 of the TSI Regulations and adopting CASR definitions) being a large RPA^[4], medium RPA^[5] or RPA which is type certificated (and which is not an excluded RPA or micro RPA). 

• Examples include: package delivery using large RPA, agricultural operations, other kinds of aerial work.

(4) Repositioning flights prior to conducting a substantive Category B operation will also be treated as a Category B operation for the purposes of occurrence reporting.

What is excluded from Category B?

To avoid doubt, Category B aircraft operations do not include Category A (passenger transport) aircraft operations or Category D (type 2 RPA and certain unmanned balloons) aircraft operations.

This means in practice, Category A operations (if applicable) take precedence for the purposes of occurrence reporting – if the operation is not Category A, then responsible persons (pilots, operators and others mentioned in section 13 of the TSI Regulations) should consider if the operation would then fall within the scope of Category B for commercial purposes (unless it would be Category D), and if not, then whether the other two remaining categories would apply. 

For example, if an operator is contracted to conduct crop spraying for a client’s farmland, this would be considered a commercial purpose (Category B). However, if an operator undertakes crop spraying on their own land, there is no commercial purpose in relation to the aircraft operation and this would be considered an operation covered under Category C (non-commercial).

Category C (non-commercial) aircraft operations

What is included in Category C?

(1) Operation of an aircraft that is not Category A, Category B or Category D – this broad description has the aim of covering non-commercial operations (with a pilot on board) generally. This means Category C includes recreational flying, general aviation, and flights where the pilot shares equally in costs with passengers (cost sharing). 

• Examples include: flying activities at local aero clubs, solo flying, community service flights, gliding activities.

What is excluded from Category C?

The purpose of Category C is to cover every kind of remaining aircraft operation (with a pilot on board) that is not excluded from the aviation occurrence reporting framework under subsection 7(3) of the TSI Regulations. 

Subsection 7(3) provides that Part 2 (aircraft operations) of the TSI Regulations do not apply to ‘excluded aircraft’ – being an Australian defence aircraft, an exempt foreign aircraft, or an RPA that is not type 1 RPA or type 2 RPA. The Amendment Regulations also extend the exclusions listed in subsection 7(3) to model aircraft, small balloons and light balloons and tethered balloons. 

Category D (type 2 RPA and certain unmanned balloons) aircraft operations

What is included in Category D?

(1) operating type 2 RPA (defined in section 6 of the TSI Regulations) being an RPA that is not a type 1 RPA, not an excluded RPA, and not a micro RPA.

(2) operating a medium balloon (defined in Part 101 of CASR) being an unmanned free balloon with, among other things, a payload with combined mass of at least 4kg but less than 6kg.

(3) operating a heavy balloon (defined in Part 101 of CASR) being an unmanned free balloon with, among other things, a payload with combined mass of at least 6kg.

• Examples include: commercial and non-commercial operation of a very small RPA (more than 250g but under 2kg) such as the DJI Phantom 4 or a small RPA (more than 2kg but under 25kg) such as the DJI Agras MG-1. Unmanned balloons capable of reaching stratospheric heights would also be included in Category D.

What is excluded from Category D?

Category D covers a subset of unmanned aircraft operations that are not already covered under earlier categories. If the aircraft operation is not using a type 2 RPA, medium balloon or heavy balloon, then Category D would not apply.

Section 11A: Category A (passenger transport) aircraft operations

The following kinds of occurrences reported as IRMs:

• aircraft accident;
• reportable serious aircraft incident;
• loss of separation standard between aircraft;
• declaration of an emergency in relation to the aircraft; and
• serious property damage incident (external).

The following kinds of occurrences reported as RRMs:

• aircraft incident; and
• aircraft incident (external).

Section 11B: Category B (commercial non-passenger) aircraft operations

The following kinds of occurrences reported as IRMs:

• aircraft accident;
• loss of separation standard between aircraft; and
• serious property damage incident (external).

The following kinds of occurrences reported as RRMs:

• reportable serious aircraft incident;
• declaration of an emergency in relation to the aircraft; and
• aircraft incident (external).

Section 11C: Category C (non-commercial) aircraft operations

The following kinds of occurrences reported as IRMs:

• aircraft accident – limited to fatal aircraft-related injuries, serious aircraft-related injuries, or missing aircraft;
• loss of separation standard between aircraft; and
• serious property damage incident (external).

The following kinds of occurrences reported as RRMs:

• aircraft accident other than reportable as an IRM;
• reportable serious aircraft incident;
• declaration of an emergency in relation to the aircraft; and
• aircraft incident (external).

Section 11D: Category D (type 2 RPA and certain unmanned balloons) aircraft operations

The following kinds of occurrences reported as IRMs:

• aircraft accident – limited to fatal aircraft-related injuries or serious aircraft-related injuries; and
• serious property damage incident (external).

The following kinds of occurrences reported as RRMs:

• aircraft accident other than reportable as an IRM; and
• loss of a separation standard between aircraft.

Immediate evasive action was required or should have been taken to avoid a collision.

Includes during flight and on the ground.

Includes any legitimate terrain avoidance system warning ‘pull up’ type annunciation. 

Excludes anticipated or spurious annunciations that occur in VMC.

Excludes helicopter landings on taxiways by authorised helicopter operations.

Includes explosions.

Excludes events involving fumes only.

Over-running refers to either a rejected take-off or a landing where the aircraft continues beyond the runway threshold.

Includes runway overruns into a displaced runway threshold area.

Under-shoot refers to a landing that touches down prior to the designated landing area on a runway within the aerodrome perimeter.

Relates only those circumstances that require immediate intervention.
Includes system alerts such as engine indications requiring inflight shutdowns, stall warnings during critical phases of flight.

Includes complete or partial loss of engine power.

General airframe limits such as V_NE;
Extension speeds for flaps, slats, spoilers;
Undercarriage extension speed.

Minor overspeeds are not incidents. In determining whether the overspeed is minor, both the degree and duration of the overspeed event should be taken into account.

Warnings and alerts that are reportable include:

-aural stall warnings

-stick shaker activations

-stick pusher activations

-alpha protection or alpha floor activations.

(Note criteria for reportable serious aircraft incidents for stall warnings during critical phases of flight.)

Stall warnings that are intentionally generated during flying training or flight testing operations are not reportable.

Landing gear not extended in preparation for landing;

Inadvertent retraction of landing gear after landing;

Incorrectly setting the flaps or slats;

Incorrect application of carburettor heat (when carburettor icing occurred or was likely to have occurred).

Incorrectly setting the auto flight system mode;

Raising the flaps instead of the landing gear after becoming airborne.

Minor configuration issues that are not reportable include:

- Momentary Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) flap and gear warnings related to incorrect settings in the EGPWS

- Configuration warnings on the application of take-off power that are resolved by the crew and the aircraft subsequently departs without incident.

Minor control issues arising from:

-Weather phenomenon (icing, severe turbulence, significant wind shear, thunderstorm encounter);

-Wake turbulence;

-Minor technical issues.

(Note criteria for reportable serious aircraft incidents.)

Icing issue that affect the performance of the aircraft;

Lightning strikes;

Turbulence or windshear that affect aircraft performance;

An approach is unstable when one or more of the following criteria is not met:

-the aircraft is on the correct flight path;

-only small changes in heading/pitch are necessary to maintain the correct flight path;

-the airspeed is not more than V_REF + 20 kt indicated speed and not less than V_REF;

-the aircraft is in the correct landing configuration;

-sink rate is no greater than 1,000 feet/minute;

-power setting is appropriate for the aircraft configuration and is not below the minimum power for the approach as defined by the operating manual;

-all briefings and checklists have been conducted;

-instrument landing system approaches flown within one dot of the glideslope and localiser;

-a Category II or III instrument approach flown within the expanded localiser band;

-a circling approach is flown with wings level on final approach when the aircraft reaches 300 feet above airport elevation.

Does not include when the approach was discontinued due to being unstable in the vicinity of 1,000 ft (IMC) or 500 ft (VMC).

Includes intentional and unintentional wheels-up landing.

Includes amphibious aircraft landing on water with landing gear not retracted.

(Note – all wheels-up landings are either accidents or reportable serious aircraft incidents.)

Incorrect load sheet provided to flight crew;

Incorrect weight data input into flight computers;

Incorrect passenger numbers or seating;

Incorrect freight or baggage or incorrect loading;

Freight shifting inflight or unrestrained freight;

Incorrect fuel quantity or tank usage.

Does not include events that were detected and corrected before flight.

Incapacitation may be due to illness, injury, physiological or psychological factors, or environmental or other factors. Incapacitations may be short term or persist for the duration of the flight, and includes both partial and total incapacitation.

(Note criteria for reportable serious aircraft incidents.)

Injuries to flight crew, cabin crew or passengers if they are the result of:

- the movement of the aircraft due to a weather phenomenon like windshear or turbulence;

- an abrupt aircraft manoeuvre, either airborne or on the ground

- unrestrained objects.

Does not include workplace health and safety related injuries like slips, trips, falls, spillage of hot beverages, bumping head on overhead lockers or passenger illness unless the injury or illness is a direct result of the operation of the aircraft.

Includes fumes from:

-dangerous goods

-post compressor wash

-oil / electrical smells

- carbon monoxide from engine combustion or heating.

Excludes (if no other consequences):

- fumes from galley oven contents or residual cleaning products

-bird ingestion through air conditioning

-passenger hand luggage contents.

(Note criteria for reportable serious aircraft incidents when incapacitation results from fumes.)

(Note separate reporting requirements for declaration of an emergency.)

Smoke is reported to be emanating from:

a) inside the aircraft; or

b) an external component of the aircraft.

(All smoke related events are reportable serious aircraft incidents.)

Excludes passengers smoking inside the aircraft when the safety of the aircraft was not compromised.

Inadequate or incorrect fuel planning;

Navigation/flight planning issues including flight management computer data entry errors;

Deficiencies or erroneous data in navigation databases;

Inadequate pre-flight aircraft inspection.

Crew error to descend below the lowest safe altitude in IMC;

Aircraft operating below lowest safe altitude without knowledge of terrain in the vicinity;

ATC instruction to descend or operate below the lowest safe altitude;

Aircraft that continue the approach below minima with no visual reference to the runway;

Intentional unauthorised low flight.

Fuel that is manufactured outside the technical specifications for the fuel grade or type;

Contamination of fuel in aircraft fuel tanks or aircraft fuel systems;

Incorrect fuel type for aircraft.

Mismanagement of the fuel system by the flight crew;

Mechanical failure involving the fuel system;

Unporting of the fuel standpipes during an aircraft manoeuvre.

(Note criteria for reportable serious aircraft incidents.)

Any occurrence where fixed fuel reserves are compromised.

(Note the separate reporting requirements for a declaration of an emergency.)

Any Terrain Avoidance and Warning System (TAWS) warning or alert, such as from a Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) and Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS)

Excludes:

-expected or spurious terrain warnings in VMC

-momentary EGPWS flap and gear warnings related to incorrect settings in the EGPWS

-momentary EGPWS glideslope warnings where a safe approach is continued.

(Note criteria for reportable serious aircraft incidents.)

Near collision on taxiway or apron with another aircraft, vehicle, person or object.

(A near collision on the runway strip is a reportable serious aircraft incident.)

(Note criteria for reportable serious aircraft incidents for near collisions.)

(Note – all actual collisions are either an aircraft accident or a reportable serious aircraft incident depending on the level of damage.)

Aircraft panels/parts that have dislodged from aircraft or vehicles and are a potential hazard to other aircraft;

Tools or equipment left in an engine or avionics bay (found during prefight preparation);

Loose objects in the cockpit/aircraft that result a hazardous condition.

Excludes foreign objects on a runway that have had no interaction with an aircraft.

Any hazardous condition such as vehicles colliding with a stationary aircraft or fuel spillages resulting from ramp operations (after the aircraft is being prepared for flight and before all passengers and crew have disembarked).

(Note separate reporting requirement for Aircraft loading incidents.)

Incorrect presence means:
(a) anything within the confines of the runway strip, irrespective of having an appropriate clearance, which hinders the operation of an arriving or departing aircraft; or
(b) an aircraft, vehicle or person entering the confines of the flight path without a clearance to do so, regardless of other aircraft operations.

(Note – a runway incursion where a collision is narrowly avoided is a reportable serious aircraft incident.)

Includes displaced thresholds.

(Note – a runway veer-off or overrun incident during take-off or landing is a reportable serious aircraft incident.)

Includes aircraft landing on the runway surface before a displaced runway threshold.

(Note – an aircraft touching down prior to the runway surface is a reportable serious aircraft incident.)

A rotor or propeller makes contact with the ground during take-off or landing;
An engine pod, wingtip, or tail contacts the ground during take-off or landing.

(Note criteria for accidents and reportable serious aircraft incidents.)

Includes chip detectors, propeller/rotor low RPM horns, fire warning devices, carbon monoxide detection.

(Note separate reporting criteria for stall warnings, EGPWS/TAWS, TCAS/ACAS, abnormal engine indications or low fuel warnings.)

Landing gear collapse due to mechanical malfunction;

Use of emergency gear extension;

Tyre deflation;

Overheated or smoking brakes;

Faults with float type undercarriages;

Faults with emergency flotation devices in helicopters.

Excluded:

-failure of landing gear indication bulbs

-flat tyres while standing or taxiing.

(Note criteria for accidents and reportable serious aircraft incidents for landing gear collapse, and smoke and fire.)

Separation of windows from the aircraft in flight;

Shattering, cracking, crazing, or delamination of a window;

Window heat arcing.

Cracks;

Debonding;

Delamination.

(Note criteria for reportable serious aircraft incidents for near collisions.)

Detached aircraft parts;

Inadvertent release of towed banner

Cameras or phones lost during open door operations.

Excludes objects deliberately detached or dropped from an aircraft.

(Note criteria for reportable serious aircraft incidents loss of a slung load or any other load carried external to the aircraft.)

Abnormal engine instrument readings, such as engine power output or temperature, oil pressure or temperature, fuel pressure;

Observation of abnormal sights or sounds by a crew member;

Engine overspeed or over-torque warnings.

Partial power loss (loss of RPM, surging, coughing);

Inflight shutdown of a failing engine;

Full power loss to an individual engine.

(Note criteria for accidents and reportable serious aircraft incidents.)

Failure of associated propeller accessories, such as feathering mechanisms, constant speed units, and reduction gearboxes;

General reports of damage to a propeller or rotor including delamination.

An aircraft system failure.  This includes the following systems:
(i)     air/pressurisation
(ii)    avionics/flight Instruments
(iii)   electrical
(iv)   fire protection
(v)    flight controls
(vi)   fuel
(vii)  hydraulics

(viii) anti-ice protection

(ix) datalink (remotely pilot aircraft)

Includes only when the operation of the aircraft was compromised or had the potential to compromise safety.

(Note criteria for reportable serious aircraft incidents for failure of more than one redundant system.)

Near collision is where immediate evasive action was required or should have been taken.

(Note all aircraft collisions and near collisions are either accidents or reportable serious aircraft incidents.)

Includes all systems, such as TCAS.

Excludes traffic advisories.

LOSA is an occurrence where separation existed but:

The potential conflict was not identified; or

Separation was not planned or was inappropriately planned; or

The separation plan was not executed or was inappropriately executed; or

Separation was not monitored or was inappropriately monitored.

Must impact on the operation of an aircraft to be reportable.

Navigation aids include ground-based and satellite-based aids.

Includes birdstrikes (including when the pilot suspects a birdstrike) where the aircraft is in flight, or taking off or landing anywhere.

Birdstrike and animal strikes where a carcass is found on a runway.

Excludes near strikes.

Includes collision or near encounter with any RPA or model aircraft or parachute.

(Note – if an RPA is known to be a type 1 or type 2 RPA, then reporting requirements for collision and near collision apply.)

Near encounter between an airborne aircraft and an object when the object interrupts the aircraft’s flight path, or

a laser or spotlight being directed at an airborne aircraft that affects the flight; or

any unauthorised communication, signal or system interference directed at an aircraft, air traffic control or air navigation aid.

Must impact on the operation of an aircraft to be reportable.

Includes interference from laser pointer lights, kites, yacht masts, weather balloons.