The ATSB final investigation report into the crash that killed the two occupants of a Robinson R22 helicopter at Yakka Munga Station in Western Australia, has found that a drive shaft to the main rotor blades failed. Examination of the shaft revealed that it had failed as a result of a fatigue crack that initiated at a bolt hole in the shaft. Inappropriate procedures, including use of an unapproved sealant, were used when the shaft was last assembled. During the investigation, the ATSB issued an urgent safety recommendation to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) asking for an…

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has dispatched a team of two investigators to determine the circumstances surrounding the fatal aviation accident near St George, 19 October 2004. The factual circumstances to hand are that it was a private flight from Bundaberg to St. George, Queensland. During the flight, the pilot reported feeling unwell and disoriented. Another aircraft in the area was diverted to formate on the aircraft. The pilot was reportedly lapsing in and out of consciousness. The aircraft was followed, however it subsequently crashed SW of St. George. The pilot was fatally…

An ATSB report has found that a recent airspace incident was both an 'airprox' and a 'serious incident' and that after taking evasive action, a Cirrus SR20 and a Cessna 172 aircraft passed about 200 metres horizontally and 50 ft vertically from each other. The Cirrus, operating under the instrument flight rules (IFR), was approaching the Cowes VHF omnidirectional radio range (VOR) navigation aid for instrument flight practice in visual meteorological conditions. A Cessna 172 aircraft, operating under the visual flight rules (VFR), was also conducting navigation aid practice using the Cowes…

The ATSB investigation into the fatal Aero Commander accident on 19 February 2004, 58 km NNW of Hobart is focusing on the reason for an overload failure of the wings in flight. The ATSB interim factual report finds that the wreckage pattern was consistent with the aircraft having sustained an in-flight structural failure of both wings and the tailplane. The outboard left and right wing sections had separated from the aircraft at similar positions along the respective wings and in a downward direction. However, there was no evidence of corrosion, fatigue cracking or airframe modifications that…

The ATSB has two marine investigators in transit to investigate the fatal lifeboat accident at Port Hedland yesterday. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau was advised late yesterday of the lifeboat accident in which two people received fatal injuries, another two suffered serious injuries, and a fifth less serious injuries. The accident occurred on 7 October 2004 during a lifeboat exercise on the Hong Kong registered bulk carrier Lowlands Grace, while the ship was at anchor off the WA port of Port Hedland. The ATSB is sending an investigation team to Port Hedland to determine the…

Failure to keep a proper lookout by either vessel has been identified as the immediate cause of the ninth collision in five years between a fishing vessel and a ship off the Australian coast. In the early hours of 21 August 2003, the fishing vessel Jenabar collided with the bulk carrier Lancelot off Diamond Head on the New South Wales coast. The report on the collision by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) also identifies that over-reliance on board Lancelot on information from the automatic radar plotting aid contributed to the collision. On this occasion nobody was hurt, though…

The ATSB investigation Preliminary Report into the accident in which six lives were lost when a privately operated Piper Cheyenne aircraft crashed near Benalla, Victoria, on 28 July 2004, found that the aircraft was off course for a substantial period. The aircraft departed Bankstown, NSW that morning, and travelled via Jervis Bay. The pilot then contacted air traffic control requesting a track from abeam Ulladulla to Benalla. The route flown did not pass directly over any ground based navigation aids and the pilot relied on the global positioning system (GPS) for navigation and for the…

A media briefing on the circumstances of the 8 September 2004, Robinson R44 Helicopter, VH-JWX near Roma, Queensland will be held in the Roma airport car park, outside the terminal at 6.00pm today, 10 September 2004. The Investigator in Change, Mike Cavenagh, will provide factual events that are known to the investigation team at this point in time. With the exception of this media briefing all media contact will continue to be addressed by the Bureau's central office, details below.

Given the heightened interest, the ATSB has released an interim report on progress with its investigation into the tragic Benalla fatal accident, emphasising its complexity due to destruction of the aircraft and the need to carefully address all the safety issues. The ATSB Preliminary Report into this six-fatality accident in a Piper Cheyenne was released on 31 August to provide early safety advice and warning to the industry. The aircraft tracked from Bankstown to the Benalla area via Jervis Bay and the pilot had planned to conduct a Global Positioning System (GPS) approach at…

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has found that fatigue cracking in the blade slots of a high-pressure turbine disk led directly to the uncontained failure of the left engine of a Boeing 767 aircraft that occurred near Brisbane on 8 December 2002. The aircraft was operating a scheduled passenger service to Auckland, New Zealand and was forced to return to Brisbane airport after the failure. Damage to a wing leading-edge flap from engine debris and the weight of the fuel being carried for the trans-Tasman flight led the flight crew to perform a prepared emergency landing, during…