An Australian Transport Safety Bureau study covering 16 years, from 1990 to 2005, has shown a fall in the number of fatal commercial aviation accidents in Australia. The ATSB report Analysis of Fatality Trends involving Civil Aviation Aircraft in Australian Airspace between 1990 and 2005 was released today. Using the broadest definition of commercial aviation to include both regular public transport (RPT) and general aviation except for business/private and sport aviation, the report shows a significant decrease in the number of fatal accidents between 1990 and 2005. There was an increase in…

An Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigation report released today recommends that ship owners, operators and masters with totally enclosed lifeboats on their ships should consider fitting lifting rings with 'hand holds' attached to them, and the provision of foul weather recovery strops. The ATSB report into the accident on board the French Antarctic support vessel L'Astrolabe states that, at about 0355 (local time) on 27 January 2005 a crew member on board the ship either jumped or fell from the ship into the Southern Ocean. In the days before the crew member had been…

An Airbus A340 lost directional control while landing on runway 16 Right at Sydney Airport on 1 November 2000 at 1150 hours ESuT. The aircraft slewed right and came to rest with the nose landing gear resting in soft ground off the runway. The crew had reported problems with the hydraulic system prior to landing. There were no injuries, and an emergency evacuation was not required. A Sydney-based investigator from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau made an initial assessment of the occurrence. He will be joined by other specialist investigators to assist in determining the factors…

The ATSB Interim Factual Investigation Report into the Metroliner fatal aircraft accident on 7 May 2005 near Lockhart River has found that if the ground proximity warning system functioned as designed, the crew should have received a number of warnings from the system as the aircraft descended below the minimum obstacle clearance altitude of 2,060 ft. However, because no data on the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) was useable, the functionality of the warnings could not be confirmed. Flight data recorder information from the accident aircraft continues to assist with the ATSB investigation.…

Anchoring too close to each other and without due regard to the changeable weather conditions in the anchorage off Newcastle were the major causes of the collision between two bulk carriers, according to an Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigation report released today. The ATSB report into the incident states that at 0939 on 24 June 2005, the bulk carrier Pilsum collided with another bulk carrier, China Steel Growth, while dragging its anchor. The two ships were anchored off the New South Wales port of Newcastle. On the morning of 24 June, a southerly weather front came…

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is investigating the circumstances surrounding the Piper Navajo Chieftain four-fatality accident near Condobolin on 2 December 2005. Four ATSB investigators have been on site near Condobolin since Saturday morning. The Piper Navajo Chieftain was reportedly being flown by a commercial pilot and was en route from Archerfield to Swan Hill via Griffith. Weather in the Condobolin area was severe with extremely strong wind and thunderstorms across the aircraft's track. The pilot reported diverting around weather and shortly after this communication was…

Failing to keep a proper lookout was the major cause of yet another collision between a trading ship and a commercial fishing vessel, according to an Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigation report released today. The ATSB report into the incident states that, at 0535 (local time) on 15 April 2005, the Greek registered bulk carrier Spartia and the Western Australian cray fishing vessel Hannah Lee collided 17 nautical miles west of Cape Bouvard. Spartias crew had detected the fishing vessel about 20 minutes prior to the collision, using the ships radars. They had assessed that a…

A 20-year-old engineer cadet died from severe head injuries after falling seven metres while working in a ship's engine room, according to an Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigation report released today. The ATSB report into the incident states that, at about 0920 (local time) on 16 May 2005, the engineer cadet on board the South Korean bulk carrier Golden Bell was working with other engine room staff when he fell through an open section of deck grating. The cadet landed seven metres below, on the engine room's bottom deck plates. He suffered severe head and internal injuries…

The electrician on board the Marshall Islands registered Probo Panda died from a heart attack following a suspected electric shock while the ship was at anchor off Gladstone in Queensland on 11 May 2005, according to an Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigation report released today. The electrician died while working on one of the ship's engine room light fittings. He had been missing for several hours and was only found after a search of the vessel was instigated by the master. The ATSB report into the fatality on board the products / oil / bulk / ore carrier Probo Panda,…

As part of its national safety awareness campaign for commercial fishermen, announced in December 2004, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) will be conducting a series of informal face-to-face meetings with fishermen in two ports in northern WA, this week. The aim of the meetings is to raise the awareness of commercial fishermen to similar causal factors, identified by the ATSB during investigations of 23 collisions between trading ships and fishing vessels conducted since 1990. The meetings will complement a safety bulletin, published by the ATSB in December 2004, and form an…