The Australian Transport Safety Bureau recommends that the Civil Aviation Safety Authority consider the requirement for the fitment and use of a suitable Airborne Collision Avoidance System in aircraft engaged in the carriage of passengers for hire or reward in other than Regular Public Transport operations.
I refer to the draft ASO Report on the traffic confliction
incident involving Beech 1900, VH-IMA, Beech 1900, VH-IMH, Piper
PA-31 (Chieftain) VH-SVV, and De Havilland DHC-8-201 (Dash 8),
VH-TQO, which occurred near Port Macquarie, NSW on 28 April
1999.
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority does not agree with
recommendations R20000181 and R20000182, but supports
recommendations R20000184, R20000198 and R20000199. R20000183 is
still being considered.
I am concerned that in making the recommendations contained in
R20000181 and R20000182, the ATSB has not recognised either the
limitations of ACAS equipment or the fact that such recommendations
cannot be justified on a cost-benefit basis. A detailed report on
this aspect of the incident is attached, which has been prepared by
the CASA officer who is the current Australian member of the ICAO
Secondary Surveillance Radar Improvements and Collision Avoidance
Systems Panel.
