Date Issue Released
Issue number
Safety issue title
Guidance for extreme wet weather and flooding
Safety Issue Description

Neither ARTC or PN provided guidance for train crew to respond to extreme wet weather events or floodwater in the rail corridor. There was no guidance for when trains should stop or report if there was water on the track formation, covering the ballast, sleepers or the rail.

Response by Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC)

Issue Owner
Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) and Pacific National (PN)
Transport Function
Rail: Infrastructure
Date issue released
Issue Status
Open – Safety action pending
Mode of Transport
Rail
Issue number
Safety issue title
Modular cabin mount design
Safety Issue Description

The design of the modular cabin mount was not resilient to frontal impact forces in the event of a collision. This increased the risk of their failure and separation of the cabin, removing the effectiveness of protection afforded by the collision posts.

Issue Owner
Progress Rail
Transport Function
Rail: Rolling stock
Date issue released
Issue Status
Closed – Adequately addressed
Mode of Transport
Rail
Issue number
Safety issue title
Crashworthiness standards
Safety Issue Description

The Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board did not provide design and/or performance standards on modular cabin resilience and retention for locomotive crashworthiness.

Issue Owner
Rail Industry Safety and Standards Board
Transport Function
Rail: Other
Date issue released
Issue Status
Closed – Adequately addressed
Mode of Transport
Rail
Issue number
Safety issue title
Missing procedure
Safety Issue Description

The procedure for predeparture testing, as part of the coupling procedure, required two competent staff. There was no procedure in the operations manual to ensure that a competent and qualified person was present to assist the driver.

Issue Owner
RTA Weipa Pty Ltd
Transport Function
Rail: Freight
Date issue released
Issue Status
Closed – Adequately addressed
Mode of Transport
Rail
Description

The ATSB recommends that Eastern Air Link address the safety issue, through provision of guidance and training to flight crew concerning the safest option in the selection of an approach method when weather conditions are marginal for the conduct of a visual approach.

Operation Affected
Organisation
Eastern Air Link
Date released
Issue number
Safety issue title
Inappropriate use of the visual approach in marginal weather
Safety Issue Description

The occurrence flight used a distance measuring equipment (DME) arrival to establish a visual approach in unsuitable visibility conditions. The investigation identified a number of similar approaches conducted by the operator in marginal visibility conditions.

Issue Owner
Eastern Air Link
Transport Function
Aviation: Air transport
Date issue released
Issue Status
Open – Safety action pending
Issue number
Safety issue title
Inappropriate use of the visual approach in marginal weather
Safety Issue Description

The occurrence flight used a distance measuring equipment (DME) arrival to establish a visual approach in unsuitable visibility conditions. The investigation identified a number of similar approaches conducted by the operator in marginal visibility conditions.

Issue Owner
Eastern Air Link
Transport Function
Aviation: Air transport
Date issue released
Issue Status
Open – Safety action pending
Mode of Transport
Aviation
Issue number
Safety issue title
Normalised, unauthorised procedure
Safety Issue Description

The aircraft system to be used in the event of a main deck cargo smoke event on the operator’s B737 fleet was being routinely used by the operator’s engineering personnel in Darwin as a means to cool the flight deck. This practice had become normalised as a result of the perceived benefit of doing so, but there were insufficient risk controls in place to ensure that the aircraft would be returned to the correct configuration prior to departure.

Issue Owner
Airwork Flight Operations Limited
Transport Function
Aviation: Air transport
Date issue released
Issue Status
Closed – Adequately addressed
Mode of Transport
Aviation
Issue number
Safety issue title
CAAP 92 Guidance
Safety Issue Description

Recommendations in CASA guidance CAAP 92-1(1) requiring obstacle clearance out to 900 m may lead to circumstances where ALAs meet these requirements however, aircraft are required to manoeuvre below a safe height or be unable to outclimb rising terrain after take-off more than 900 m past the runway end.

Issue Owner
Civil Aviation Safety Authority
Transport Function
Aviation: General aviation
Date issue released
Issue Status
Closed – Adequately addressed
Mode of Transport
Aviation
Issue number
Safety issue title
Sample operations manual
Safety Issue Description

The CASA sample operations manual used by the operator that allowed any aerodrome in the Enroute Supplement Australia to be used for flight training did not assure that these aerodromes were suitable for use.

Issue Owner
Civil Aviation Safety Authority
Transport Function
Aviation: General aviation
Date issue released
Issue Status
Open – Safety action pending
Mode of Transport
Aviation
Issue number
Safety issue title
Risk management
Safety Issue Description

Network Aviation did not include the threat of unforecast weather below landing minima in their controlled flight into terrain risk assessments. This increased the risk that controls required to manage this threat would not be developed, monitored, and reviewed at a management level.

Issue Owner
Network Aviation
Transport Function
Aviation: Air transport
Date issue released
Issue Status
Closed – Adequately addressed
Mode of Transport
Aviation
Issue number
Safety issue title
Diversion procedure
Safety Issue Description

Network Aviation did not provide their flight crew with a diversion decision-making procedure for the circumstances where their flights encountered unforecast weather below landing minima. This increased the risk that their flight crew would not anticipate and be adequately prepared for a diversion.

Issue Owner
Network Aviation
Transport Function
Aviation: Air transport
Date issue released
Issue Status
Closed – Adequately addressed
Mode of Transport
Aviation
Issue number
Safety issue title
Design of joystick indicator light
Safety Issue Description

The illumination of the joystick steering panel’s ‘joystick on’ light indicated which panel was selected (or last selected) for use and bore no relation to the steering mode selected. This increased risk as it was misleading and contrary to the understanding of the ship’s officers who believed that the illumination of the light was only possible when the joystick steering mode was selected.

Issue Owner
CSL Australia
Transport Function
Marine: Shipboard operations
Date issue released
Issue Status
Closed – Adequately addressed
Mode of Transport
Marine
Issue number
Safety issue title
Bridge resource management training
Safety Issue Description

Neither the master nor the second mate had undertaken required bridge resource management training. This probably contributed to the ineffective implementation of bridge resource management on board, which resulted in the single person errors that contributed to this accident not being detected.

Issue Owner
CSL Australia
Transport Function
Marine: Shipboard operations
Date issue released
Issue Status
Closed – Adequately addressed
Mode of Transport
Marine
Issue number
Safety issue title
Mitigations to CPC design limitation
Safety Issue Description

The mitigations introduced by Airbus to counter the design limitation associated with the A330 cabin pressure control systems were ineffective, because:

  • changes to the CAB PR EXCESS CAB ALT alert operational procedure did not ensure appropriate management of the fault
  • the service bulletin had very limited uptake in the A330/340 global fleet.

Response by Airbus

Issue Owner
Airbus
Transport Function
Aviation: Air transport
Date issue released
Issue Status
Closed – Adequately addressed
Mode of Transport
Aviation
Issue number
Safety issue title
Operator training
Safety Issue Description

The operator’s training system did not adequately cover the unique requirements of the CAB PR EXCESS CAB ALT alert procedure, increasing the risk of an incorrect or delayed application of the required procedure.

Issue Owner
Qantas Airways Limited
Transport Function
Aviation: Air transport
Date issue released
Issue Status
Closed – Adequately addressed
Mode of Transport
Aviation
Issue number
Safety issue title
Crash-resistant fuel system
Safety Issue Description

The aircraft was not fitted nor required to be fitted with a crash-resistant fuel system under the current standards or those in place at the time of manufacture. As a result, post-impact fire presents a significant risk of fire-related injuries and fatalities to aircraft occupants.

Response by the United States Federal Aviation Administration

The Federal Aviation Administration is forming a cross-organisational team to review the topic of post-crash fires and identify potential risk mitigations.

Issue Owner
United States Federal Aviation Administration
Transport Function
Aviation: General aviation
Date issue released
Issue Status
Open – Safety action pending
Mode of Transport
Aviation
Issue number
Safety issue title
DEENA 7 Standard instrument departure had no positive separation assurance method
Safety Issue Description

The DEENA 7 standard instrument departure has no designed positive separation method, making it susceptible to loss of separation occurrences.

 

Issue Owner
Airservices Australia
Transport Function
Aviation: Air transport
Date issue released
Issue Status
Open – Safety action pending
Mode of Transport
Aviation
Issue number
Safety issue title
DEENA 7 Standard instrument departure had no positive separation assurance method
Safety Issue Description

The DEENA 7 standard instrument departure has no designed positive separation method, making it susceptible to loss of separation occurrences. 

Issue Owner
Airservices Australia
Transport Function
Aviation: Air transport
Date issue released
Issue Status
Closed – Adequately addressed
Mode of Transport
Aviation
Issue number
Safety issue title
SFIS surveillance coverage
Safety Issue Description

The surveillance flight information service (SFIS) had been implemented in an area with known surveillance coverage limitations, resulting in the SFIS controller having no displayed positional information for the Caravan until it reached an altitude of about 1,500 feet. Therefore, during the period of conflict between the Caravan and B737, the controller was solely reliant on radio communications for situation awareness, reducing their ability to provide appropriate traffic and avoidance advice.

Issue Owner
Airservices Australia
Transport Function
Airspace
Date issue released
Issue Status
Open – Safety action pending
Mode of Transport
Aviation