Aviation Occurrence Statistics 2003 to 2012
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Aviation Occurrence Statistics Insert document title 2003 to 2012 Location | Date ATSB Transport Safety Report InvestigationResearch [InsertAviation Mode] Research Occurrence Report Investigation XX-YYYY-####AR-2013-067 Final – 30 October 2013 Publishing information Published by: Australian Transport Safety Bureau Postal address: PO Box 967, Civic Square ACT 2608 Office: 62 Northbourne Avenue Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601 Telephone: 1800 020 616, from overseas +61 2 6257 4150 (24 hours) Accident and incident notification: 1800 011 034 (24 hours) Facsimile: 02 6247 3117, from overseas +61 2 6247 3117 Email: [email protected] Internet: www.atsb.gov.au © Commonwealth of Australia 2013 Ownership of intellectual property rights in this publication Unless otherwise noted, copyright (and any other intellectual property rights, if any) in this publication is owned by the Commonwealth of Australia. Creative Commons licence With the exception of the Coat of Arms, ATSB logo, and photos and graphics in which a third party holds copyright, this publication is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia licence. Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia Licence is a standard form license agreement that allows you to copy, distribute, transmit and adapt this publication provided that you attribute the work. The ATSB’s preference is that you attribute this publication (and any material sourced from it) using the following wording: Source: Australian Transport Safety Bureau Copyright in material obtained from other agencies, private individuals or organisations, belongs to those agencies, individuals or organisations. Where you want to use their material you will need to contact them directly. Addendum Page Change Date Safety summary Why have we done this report Thousands of safety occurrences involving Australian-registered and foreign aircraft are reported to the ATSB every year by individuals and organisations in Australia’s aviation industry, and by the public. The aim of the ATSB’s statistical report series is to give information back to pilots, operators, regulators, and other aviation industry participants on what accidents and incidents have happened, how often they are happening, and what we can learn from them. What the ATSB found In 2012, there were 107 accidents, 195 serious incidents, and over 7,300 incidents reported to the ATSB involving Australian (VH– registered) aircraft, and a further 570 occurrences that involved foreign-registered aircraft operating within Australia or its airspace. Commercial air transport aircraft were involved in the majority of incidents reported each year, and in 2012 the most common safety incidents reported were animal strikes, non-compliance with publish information or air traffic control instructions, and aircraft system and airframe issues. Most accidents and serious incidents related to reduced aircraft separation and engine malfunction. General aviation aircraft, such as aircraft conducting flying training, aerial work, or private/pleasure flying, were involved in 38 per cent of occurrences reported to the ATSB in 2012. Airspace incursions, compliance with air traffic control, and birdstrikes were the most common incidents reported, with most accidents and serious incidents involving terrain collisions, engine failures, and a loss of aircraft control. Private/business operations had the highest number of fatal accidents in 2012 out of any year in the last 10 years, with 15 fatal accidents resulting in 22 fatalities. In contrast, commercial aerial work operations recorded the lowest number of accidents in the past 10 years. In most operation types, helicopters had a higher rate of accidents and fatal accidents than aeroplanes. A new addition to the ATSB’s aviation statistics are data on recreational (non–VH) aircraft safety. In 2012, the majority of the 274 occurrences reported were controlled airspace incursions, engine malfunctions, aircraft control problems, and runway events such as veer-offs. Over the past 10 years, aerial agriculture had the most accidents and fatal accidents per hour flown, followed by private/business operations. Aerial survey and aerial mustering had the next highest accident and fatal accident rates. Safety message Aviation occurrence statistics provide a reminder to everyone involved in the operation of aircraft that accidents, incidents, and injuries happen more often than is widely believed. Some of the most frequent accident types are preventable, particularly in general aviation. Pilots and operators should use the misfortunes of others to help identify the safety risks in their operation that could lead to a similar accident or serious incident. Timely and thorough reporting of safety incidents is paramount. The ATSB’s capability to understand why accidents and incidents happen and to identify the major safety risks in different types of aviation operations is at its best when all aviation participants report all safety incidents. The information the ATSB provides helps everyone in the aviation industry to better manage their safety risk. Contents Context ......................................................................................................................................1 Activity data..............................................................................................................................3 Departures 3 Hours flown 6 Occurrences by operation type .............................................................................................9 Commercial air transport 12 High capacity RPT (VH- registered) 14 Low capacity RPT (VH- registered) 19 Charter (VH- registered) 22 Foreign-registered air transport 29 General aviation 30 Aerial work 34 Flying training 49 Private/business/sports aviation 52 Foreign general aviation 63 Other general aviation 63 Recreational 64 Occurrences by aircraft type .............................................................................................. 69 Differences in accidents between operation groups and aircraft type 69 Differences in accidents between specific operation types and aircraft types 71 Charter 72 Aerial work 72 Flying training 72 Private/business 73 Occurrence types: what happened .................................................................................... 74 Commercial air transport 74 Accidents and serious incidents 74 Incidents 81 General aviation 86 Accidents and serious incidents 86 Incidents 91 Recreational 95 Accidents and serious incidents 95 Incidents 98 Data sources and submissions ........................................................................................ 102 Sources of information 102 Appendices ......................................................................................................................... 103 Appendix A – Explanatory notes 103 Appendix B – ATSB occurrence type taxonomy 106 Australian Transport Safety Bureau ................................................................................ 109 Purpose of safety investigations 109 Developing safety action 109 Glossary ............................................................................................................................... 110 ATSB – AR-2013-067 Context Each year, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) receives accident and incident notifications from pilots, airline operators, air traffic control, maintenance personnel, aerodrome operators, emergency services authorities, and from the general public. The reporting of these aviation accidents and incidents, collectively termed occurrences, assists the ATSB in monitoring safety through its core functions of independent investigation and the analysis of data to identify emerging trends. The types of occurrences that are required to be reported to the ATSB are detailed in the Transport Safety Investigation Regulations 2003 (‘the Regulations’). Depending on the seriousness of the event (in terms of the potential to cause injury or damage) and the category of operation, these occurrences are categorised as either immediately reportable matters (IRMs) or routine reportable matters (RRMs). To see the full list of IRMs and RRMs, visit the ATSB’s website at www.atsb.gov.au/about_atsb/legislation.aspx. Aviation occurrence statistics are updated and published annually by the ATSB, and can be subject to change pending the provision of new information to the ATSB. When using these statistics, it is important to remember that occurrence data is provided to the ATSB by responsible persons as defined in Part 2.5 of the Regulations. The ATSB accepts no liability for any loss or damage suffered by any person or corporation resulting from the use of these statistics. › 1 ‹ ATSB – AR-2013-067 › 2 ‹ ATSB – AR-2013-067 Activity data The overall number of safety occurrences alone does not represent a complete picture of aviation safety. For meaningful comparisons to be made between different types of aircraft and the operations they perform, aviation occurrence statistics are often presented as a rate per million hours flown or per million departures. The Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE) collect and compile this activity data from reports submitted by airlines, and from other aircraft operators through the General Aviation Activity Survey. Activity data used to calculate rates in this report can be found in Table 1 and Table 2. This data is rounded to the nearest thousand hours (or thousand departures) to present the size or magnitude of the data