In 1992 a study (RP/92/10) was performed to examine VCA occurrences. The report found that VCAs had increased sharply following the introduction of the AMATS system in late 1991. The aim of this report is to provide updated information on the VCA situation. As an update on the 1992 VCA report, the most recent six-month period, January to June 1994, will be examined.

In late 1992 the Bureau of Air Safety Investigation (BASI) noted a large increase in violations of controlled airspace (VCAs). Whereas in most of 1991, there had been around 25 such incidents per month, in December 1991 there were 42 of these incidents and throughout 1992 BASI received an increasing number of VCA notifications. The increase in VCAs was of particular concern as it may have reflected difficulties with the implementation of the Airspace Management and Air Traffic Services ( AMATS ) changes to Australian airspace. A VCA is a serious incident because of the risk of a collision…

industry. This follows an external review of the Bureau undertaken in 1999. The review contained a number of recommendations, from which the production of this bulletin has emerged. The bulletin will be published twice yearly. From time to time additional bulletins will be published in response to requests for information on specific subjects from the industry. If a particular problem becomes evident from the ATSB's monitoring of trends in various areas, this too will be included in the bulletin. The bulletin is composed of 6 parts. These parts are: Current accident and incident trends…

Between January 1979 and May 1993, 35 aircraft accidents occurred in Australia during the take-off phase of flight at night. A primary factor in 15 of these accidents was considered to be some form of visual or sensory illusion, or spatial disorientation. Investigation files from the 15 accidents were reviewed in an attempt to identify common elements in which spatial disorientation, or a visual or sensory illusion, was thought to be a contributing factor. Data were gathered on pilot characteristics, such as experience and age, as well as on operational information, such as aerodrome type…

One of the most significant factors in the formulation of safe flying habits and good airmanship is the quality of ab-initio flying training. It is therefore important for anyone involved in ab-initio training to receive adequate guidance on the required syllabus and the methods of teaching. In recent years, the Australian flying training industry has been through a large number of changes, with some arising from the Civil Aviation Authority's (CAA) implementation of a new 'Day-VFR syllabus, and others arising from major changes in the Australian aviation industry. While change has become a…

Maintenance constitutes a significant and rising cost to the airline industry. In the USA, maintenance costs are increasing as a proportion of airline operating costs. In 1989 maintenance constituted 11 -8% of US airline operating costs or greater than US$S billion per year (Shepherd 1991). The annual cost to the Australian airline industry is likely to be in the order of A$500 million per year.

During 1992 and 1993 there was an increase in the frequency of reported occurrences involving co-ordination between Australian and Indonesian ATS. Although some involved aircraft travelling from Australia to Indonesia, the majority (92%) involved aircraft travelling from Indonesian airspace into the Australian FIR. The CAA Australia and the Indonesia Directorate General of Air Communications are signatories on a LOA between the two countries. This LOA supplements ICAO documents in respect to separation standards and co-ordination procedures and is - updated periodically. The latest update was…

The regional airline industry is an integral part of the Australian air transport system, and is particularly important in rural and remote areas. The industry has a major role in supplementing the high capacity airlines and providing feeder services into the capital cities. The accident rate for regional airlines has remained relatively stable since 1990, although it is higher than the rate for high capacity air transport. Partly as a result of a small number of highly publicised fatal accidents involving regional airlines, there has been considerable debate about safety standards within…

On 24 December 1995 an Australian ibis was ingested into the engine of an Airbus A300 on takeoff from Coolangatta Airport. The damage to the engine was extensive. Bird strikes are a continual hazard for aircraft operations, particularly during the take-off and landing phases. The Bureau's database contains the birdstrike reports shown in appendix 1, tables IA, 1 B and 1 C for the years 1993, 1994 and 1995. It should be noted that the requirement for reporting birdstrike occurrences which did not involve aircraft damage was terminated in 1991. Prior to 1991 all bird-strike occurrences were…

The carriage of traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS) equipment is not mandatory in Australian aircraft. However, many Australian and foreign registered aircraft operating in Australian controlled airspace are equipped with TCAS because of their compliance with a US requirement when operating in American airspace. A total of 157 TCAS-related air safety occurrences were reported in Australian airspace during 1993 and 1994. The circumstances of these events, and the views of the pilots and air traffic controllers involved in the occurrences, were examined in detail. Early versions of TCAS…