The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has further strengthened its close co-operative arrangement with the Department of Defence, following the completion of a secondment of a Defence Flight Safety Bureau (DFSB) aviation accident investigator to the Bureau.
Squadron Leader Clare Fry, the second Defence aviation accident investigator to be seconded to the ATSB, brought her experience in safety investigation and human factors to the Bureau during her recent five-month secondment.
During her secondment, Squadron Leader Fry deployed to two accident sites involving general aviation aircraft, and was involved in two investigations focusing on high-capacity passenger aircraft. She also participated in a number of training courses, as well as human factors and professional development sessions.
Squadron Leader Fry said her time with the ATSB had been an excellent opportunity, and that she had gained valuable knowledge and experience.
“The ATSB are responsible for a much larger and broader demographic than DFSB, and therefore are exposed to a lot more,” Squadron Leader Fry said. “This has been a good opportunity for me to get some wider experience, and I’ll be taking that experience back to DFSB to strengthen our team.”
“The on-site experience with the ATSB, in particular, has given me some new insights into site safety management and risk assessments. I’m looking forward to the opportunity to incorporate ideas from the ATSB’s methodology to enhance Defence aviation safety investigation.”
ATSB Chief Commissioner Greg Hood said Squadron Leader Fry had been a valuable addition to the ATSB, and that her secondment resulted in both organisations benefiting.
“We are grateful to have had her as part of our organisation, and I’m glad that we continue to maintain and strengthen our already-strong relationship with our Defence counterparts at the DFSB,” Mr Hood said.
There is a close relationship between the two organisations, with a Memorandum of Understanding providing a framework for the ATSB and Defence to cooperate in the investigation of transport safety matters. Both organisations are committed to investigating accidents and analysing occurrence data, with the sole aim of preventing recurrence.