Aviation Occurrence Statistics 2002 to 2011
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Aviation Occurrence Statistics Insert document title 2002 to 2011 Location | Date ATSB Transport Safety Report InvestigationResearch [InsertAviation Mode] Research Occurrence Report Investigation XX-YYYY-####AR-2012-025 Final Report No. AR-2012-025 Publication date 30 May 2012 ISBN 978-1-74251-268-8 Released in accordance with section 25 of the Transport Safety Investigation Act 2003 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 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 2012 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 (referred to below as the Commonwealth). Creative Commons licence With the exception of the Coat of Arms, ATSB logo, and all photos and graphics, 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. A summary of the licence terms is available from http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au/deed.en. The full licence terms are available fromhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au/legalcode. 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. ATSB TRANSPORT SAFETY REPORT Aviation Research and Analysis Report AR-2012-025 Final Aviation Occurrence Statistics 2002 to 2011 - i - - ii - SAFETY SUMMARY Why we have 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 There were 130 accidents, 121 serious incidents, and 6,823 incidents in 2011 involving VH-registered aircraft. These included a first officer who was thrown off a set of portable stairs by jet blast from a Boeing 747 at Brisbane Airport, a freight flight that disappeared while trying to land in the Torres Strait Islands, a Boeing 777 that flew just 1,000 feet above suburban Melbourne while on approach to land, and an ABC helicopter that was tragically lost on a flight over Lake Eyre. General aviation operations continue to have an accident rate higher than for commercial air transport operations: in 2011, about four times higher for accidents, and nine times higher for fatal accidents. Most commercial air transport accidents and serious incidents were related to reduced aircraft separation, and engine issues. Charter operations accounted for most of the accidents, including two fatal accidents in 2011. Air transport incidents were more likely to involve birdstrikes or a failure to comply with air traffic control instructions or published information. For general aviation aircraft, accidents and serious incidents often involved terrain collisions, aircraft separation issues, or aircraft control problems. Where general aviation aircraft were involved in an incident, airspace incursions, failure to comply with air traffic control, and wildlife strikes were common. In most operation types, helicopters had a higher rate of accidents and fatal accidents than aeroplanes, except for in charter operations. Even though the fatal accident rate is generally higher, helicopter accidents are on the whole associated with fewer fatalities than fixed-wing aircraft. 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 growth of reporting to the ATSB that has been seen over the last 10 years has helped us to better understand why accidents and incidents happen, and what the major safety risks are in different types of aviation operations. This helps everyone in the aviation industry to better manage their safety risk. - iii - CONTENTS SAFETY SUMMARY ........................................................................................iii THE AUSTRALIAN TRANSPORT SAFETY BUREAU ................................ vi TERMINOLOGY USED IN THIS REPORT .................................................. vii ABBREVIATIONS .......................................................................................... viii OPERATION TYPES USED IN THIS REPORT ............................................. ix 1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background to the report .................................................................... 1 1.2 Data sources....................................................................................... 1 1.2.1 Occurrence data ....................................................................... 1 1.2.2 Activity data ............................................................................ 2 1.3 Disclaimer ......................................................................................... 2 2 ACTIVITY DATA ....................................................................................... 3 2.1 Departures ......................................................................................... 3 2.2 Hours flown ....................................................................................... 6 3 EXPLANATORY NOTES........................................................................... 9 4 OCCURRENCES BY OPERATION TYPE ............................................. 11 4.1 Commercial air transport .................................................................. 13 4.1.1 High capacity RPT (VH- registered) ...................................... 15 4.1.2 Low capacity RPT (VH- registered) ....................................... 20 4.1.3 Charter (VH- registered) ........................................................ 23 4.1.4 Foreign-registered air transport .............................................. 27 4.2 General aviation ............................................................................... 30 4.2.1 Aerial work ........................................................................... 35 4.2.2 Flying training ....................................................................... 48 4.2.3 Private/business/sports aviation.............................................. 51 4.2.4 Foreign general aviation ........................................................ 59 5 OCCURRENCES BY AIRCRAFT TYPE ................................................ 60 5.1 Differences between operation groups and fixed/rotary-wing accidents .......................................................................................... 60 5.2 Differences between operation types and fixed/rotary-wing accidents .......................................................................................... 62 - iv - 6 OCCURRENCE TYPES: WHAT HAPPENED ....................................... 65 6.1 Commercial air transport .................................................................. 65 6.1.1 Accidents and serious incidents.............................................. 66 6.1.2 Incidents ................................................................................ 70 6.2 General Aviation .............................................................................. 75 6.2.1 Accidents and serious incidents.............................................. 75 6.2.2 Incidents ................................................................................ 79 APPENDIX A: ATSB OCCURRENCE TYPE TAXONOMY .................... 85 - v - THE AUSTRALIAN TRANSPORT SAFETY BUREAU The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is an independent Commonwealth Government statutory agency. The Bureau is governed by a Commission and is entirely separate from transport regulators, policy makers and service providers. The ATSB's function is to improve safety and public confidence in the aviation, marine and rail modes of transport through excellence in: independent investigation of transport accidents and other safety occurrences; safety data recording, analysis and research; fostering safety awareness, knowledge and action. The ATSB is responsible for investigating accidents and other transport safety matters involving