The Bureau of Meteorology did not have a procedure to ensure that a recording of the local weather forecast for balloon operations in the Melbourne area was correctly uploaded and accessible to balloon pilots.
The ATSB is satisfied that the safety action will reduce the risk associated with this safety issue.
As a result of this occurrence, the Bureau of Meteorology advised the ATSB that it had updated the recording system to be more user-friendly and robust, as well as other safety actions. More specifically, the Bureau stated:
The new recording system automatically uploads and replays the briefing to the forecaster, which confirms the recording has successfully uploaded. This removes the final step of manual activation of the recording hence reducing the risk of a human error.
While it was common practice to include a date and time at the start of each recording, the procedures have been updated to formalise this requirement. In addition, further information has been provided in the procedures on detailing wind changes in the briefing.
The Bureau advised that they provide briefing services to balloon operators at various locations across Australia, but the service varies state to state. The Bureau in consultation with aviation industry is in the process of reviewing balloon forecasting services nationally with the view to providing a nationally consistent and standard service to balloon operators in the future.
