In 2009, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) produces
its third edition of Australian Aviation Safety in Review
as part of its role to enhance public awareness of aviation safety.
This Review has been developed to provide a readily accessible
analysis of the Australian aviation industry, with a major focus on
communicating the key safety trends. This publication covers the
major aircraft operation categories of passenger transport (regular
public transport and charter) and general aviation. Sport and
recreational aviation is also discussed, as is the burgeoning trend
towards amateur-built and experimental aircraft.
Demographic and activity data on Australian aviation is
presented to provide a context within which to examine accident and
incident (occurrence) trends. To enable comparison of occurrence
trends across different operational categories, data is provided in
terms of actual numbers as well as rates per 100,000 hours flown.
The latest year for which flying hours are available is 2007.
A new feature of this edition of the Review is a 10-year look at
safety trends, focusing on total occurrences (all incidents and
accidents), all accidents, and fatal accidents separately. An
exploration behind what occurred (occurrence types) and why they
occurred (safety factors) is a major focus of this edition.