As the accountable authority for the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), I am pleased to present the ATSB’s 2017–18 Corporate Plan, which covers the period 2017–18 to 2020–21. This Corporate Plan sets out the ATSB’s purpose – to improve transport safety – and its strategies for achieving that purpose. The Plan also sets out the ATSB’s key deliverables and associated performance criteria. It has been prepared consistent with paragraph 35(1)(b) of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 and the relevant provisions of the Transport Safety Investigation Act 2003 (…

As the accountable authority for the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), I am pleased to present the ATSB’s 2018–19 Corporate Plan, which covers the period 2018–19 to 2021–22. This Corporate Plan sets out the ATSB’s purpose – to improve transport safety – and its strategies for achieving that purpose. The Plan also sets out the ATSB’s key deliverables and associated performance criteria. It has been prepared consistent with paragraph 35(1)(b) of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 and the relevant provisions of the Transport Safety Investigation Act 2003 (the…

The standard industry practice of re-using self-locking nuts on Robinson helicopters may inadvertently result in the omission to replace MS21042L or NAS1291-series nuts with D210-series corrosion resistant (CRES) nuts on critical fasteners. Safety advisory notice The Australian Transport Safety Bureau advises all maintenance personnel for Robinson helicopters to ensure that before re-using a self-locking nut, that the correct part number is fitted, and that the D210-series corrosion-resistant nuts are used for reassembly of critical fasteners in accordance with the Robinson Helicopter Company…

Pilots must learn to recover from an incipient spin and demonstrate recovery from the manoeuvre during flight tests. Evidence suggests that in some cases, this training is being performed in aircraft that are not approved for intentional spins. Depending on the aircraft type, the manufacturer may not have specified whether that restriction applies to an incipient spin or only a developed spin. What happened On 26 September 2017, an instructor and student conducted a training flight in a Diamond Aircraft Industries DA40 aircraft, registered VH-MPM, from Archerfield Airport, Queensland. The…

Why we have done this report Occurrences involving aircraft striking wildlife, particularly birds, continue to be the most common aviation occurrence reported to the ATSB. Strikes with birds are a potential safety risk and present a significant economic risk for aerodrome and aircraft operators. The aim of the ATSB’s statistical report series is to provide information back to pilots, aerodrome and aircraft operators, regulators, and other aviation industry participants to assist them with managing the risks associated with bird and animal strikes. This report updates the last edition (…

What is wake turbulence For fixed-wing aircraft, wake turbulence is the combined effect of jet blast or propeller wash with wake vortices. Wake vortices are the primary contributor to wake turbulence. The initial strength of the vortices is primarily dependent upon the generating aircraft’s speed, weight and wingspan. These vortices decay with time and largely become non‑hazardous—depending on atmospheric conditions—within several minutes. The wake vortices can affect following aircraft in a similar way to flying through weather-related turbulence. More specifically, aircraft encountering…

Fuel policy requirements The current legislation does not require commercial operators of aircraft not greater than 5,700 kg maximum take-off weight (MTOW) to provide instructions and procedures for crosschecking the quantity of fuel on board before and/or during flight. This increases the risk that operators in this category will not implement effective fuel policies and training to prevent fuel exhaustion events. What happened On 17 July 2016, at about 1039 Central Standard Time, a McDonnell Douglas Corporation 369D helicopter, registered VH-PLY, experienced fuel exhaustion and a collision…

This research commenced following receipt of correspondence suggesting that an increase in helicopter engine issues in northern Australia was potentially linked to a change to reduced lead content fuel in these areas. The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) advised the ATSB that, in December 2015, the colour and branding of fuel supplied to the northern region of Australia changed, from green Avgas 100/130 to blue Avgas 100LL (low lead). Although the maximum permissible lead content reduced with this change, CASA advised that the actual lead content of the supplied Avgas 100/130 fuel had…

The ATSB Annual Report 2017–18 outlines performance against the outcome and program structure in the Infrastructure and Regional Development Portfolio Budget Statements 2017–18. In my second year as Chief Commissioner, the team and I have continued to position the ATSB as a multi-modal, teams-based, world-class transport safety investigation agency. At the start of 2017–18, the Australian Government allocated the ATSB additional funding to address the resourcing challenges encountered in previous years. We have used this funding to put the ATSB on a path of transformation. We recruited 17…

Why the ATSB did the research Fatigue is an inevitable risk in aviation. As it cannot be completely eliminated, it must be managed. Data on fatigue and its impact on air transport safety is generally only obtained if there is an incident or accident. As a result, there is generally a lack of understanding of the baseline level of fatigue in day-to-day Australian air transport across operators. To provide the air transport industry, regulators and policy makers with further insights into industry perceptions of fatigue, the ATSB conducted a survey of commercial pilots engaged in passenger,…