Section 21 (2) of the Transport Safety Investigation Act
2003 (TSI Act) empowers the Australian Transport Safety Bureau
(ATSB) to discontinue an investigation into a transport safety
matter at any time. Section 21 (3) of the TSI Act requires the ATSB
to publish a statement setting out the reasons for discontinuing an
investigation.
On 12 October 2011, the ATSB commenced an investigation into the
breakdown of separation, between an Airbus Industrie A320 aircraft
registered VH-VGR and a Boeing Company 737 aircraft registered
VH-VOD near Melbourne Airport, Vic. Examination of the information
collected during the investigation identified that the occurrence
had significant similarities to aspects of ongoing investigation
AO-2010-104, breakdown of separation, between a Boeing Company 767
aircraft registered VH-OGU and a Boeing Company 737 aircraft
registered VH-VBH, near Melbourne Airport, Vic on 5 December
2010.
Accordingly, the ATSB decided to examine the 12 October 2011,
breakdown of separation event as part of the broader investigation
AO-2010-104 and the
separate AO-2011-131 investigation was discontinued.