Australian Transport Safety Bureau

Last updated

Australian Transport Safety Bureau
Australian Transport Safety Bureau logo.jpeg
Agency overview
Formed1 July 1999 [1]
Jurisdiction Government of Australia
Headquarters12 Moore Street, Canberra, ACT
Employees100 [2]
Agency executive
  • Angus Mitchell,
    Chief Commissioner
Website www.atsb.gov.au
ATSB central office Australian Transport Safety Bureau window logo.jpg
ATSB central office

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is Australia's national transport safety investigator. The ATSB is the federal government body responsible for investigating transport-related accidents and incidents within Australia. It covers air, sea and rail travel. The ATSB is an independent Commonwealth Government statutory agency, governed by a Commission and is separate from transport regulators, policy makers and service providers.

Contents

History

The ATSB was formed on 1 July 1999. It combined the Bureau of Air Safety Investigation (BASI), Marine Incident Investigation Unit (MIIU) and parts of the Federal Office of Road Safety (FORS). [3] [4] [5]

Its central office is located at 12 Moore Street in Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. [6] It has field offices in Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Perth. It has about 100 employees, including about 60 Transport Safety Investigators of aviation, marine, and rail accidents and incidents. [7]

Air safety investigation

Australian aviation accidents were initially investigated by the Air Accident Investigation Committee (AAIC), formed in 1927, to "investigate all civil and military aircraft accidents that the Committee deemed advisable". [8] When the Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) was formed in 1938, investigation of air safety came within its purview. During the 1950s, the Air Safety Investigation Branch (ASIB) was formed, becoming the Bureau of Air Safety Investigation (BASI) in 1982, an operationally independent unit of the Department of Aviation (DoA). In 1987, BASI was transferred to the Department of Transport and Communications (DoTaC) when DoA was abolished. [8]

Currently, the ATSB is responsible for investigating civil aircraft incidents and accidents within Australia and assisting in investigations of Australian registered aircraft overseas. Australia is a Council member of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). [7]

Marine safety investigation

The Marine Incident Investigation Unit (MIIU) was created on 1 January 1991, under the direction of the Inspector of Marine Accidents, a statutory position. Previously, significant marine accident investigations were conducted by a Court of Marine Inquiry, a model which was adopted in 1921, via amendment to the Navigation Act 1912 (Cwlth). This was based on United Kingdom law and practices dating back to the 1850s. [1]

Currently, the ATSB investigates accidents and serious incidents of Australian flagged ships worldwide, and of foreign flagged ships within Australian waters. Australia is a Council member of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). [7]

Road Safety Branch

Between July 1999 and March 2008, Federal government initiatives dealing with road safety were primarily within the ATSB's responsibilities in the Road Safety Branch (RSB). The RSB later became part of 'The Infrastructure and Surface Transport Policy Division' of the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government. [9]

Rail safety investigation

Until formation of the ATSB, rail safety had been the responsibility of each state government. [10] With the enactment of the Transport Safety Investigation Act 2003 (Cwlth), the ATSB gained jurisdiction for rail incident and accident investigations on the Defined Interstate Rail Network (DIRN), consisting of the standard gauge track linking all major Australian mainland cities and ports. [11] In December 2009, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) agreed to adopt the ATSB as the national rail safety investigator, in conjunction with the formation of a national rail safety regulator. [10] Commencing in January 2013, all Australian states and territories gradually adopted the scheme, with Queensland the last to join in July 2017. [12] The Office of Transport Safety Investigations (OTSI) and the Chief Investigator Transport Safety (CITS), continue to investigate rail accidents and incidents in conjunction with the ATSB, in New South Wales and Victoria, respectively. [10]

ATSB operations

The ATSB contributes to transport safety by independently investigating, analysing and openly reporting on transport safety matters. [13] It is not a function of the ATSB to apportion blame or liability, instead, investigations are focused on learning from accidents and incidents and, encouraging safety action by government and industry. [7]

The ATSB is entirely separate from transport regulatory authorities such as the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) and the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator (ONRSR), government policy makers and, service providers such as Airservices Australia and the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC). This separation ensures the independence of ATSB investigations, thereby avoiding external influence and conflicts of interest. [7]

The Transport Safety Investigation Act 2003 (TSI Act), allows the ATSB to investigate transport safety matters in the aviation, marine and rail transport modes within the Australian Government's constitutional jurisdiction and, to release transport safety information, including investigation reports that detail the findings and significant factors that led to a particular transport safety occurrence. [14] ATSB Transport Safety Investigators exercise statutory powers delegated by the Chief Commissioner in accordance with the provisions of the TSI Act. [15] These powers allow ATSB investigators to interview anyone involved directly or indirectly in a transport safety occurrence. [16] A comprehensive regime of provisions within the TSI Act is in place to maintain the confidentiality of, and legal protection for, a range of sensitive safety information gathered by ATSB investigators. The ATSB is now so experienced in Aircraft crash investigations that they are now specifically called upon by the US NTSB and were a major contributor in the Adam Air 574 crash in Silowasi Indonesia [17]

Other countries

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Transportation Safety Board</span> US government investigative agency for civil transportation accidents

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incidents, certain types of highway crashes, ship and marine accidents, pipeline incidents, bridge failures, and railroad accidents. The NTSB is also in charge of investigating cases of hazardous materials releases that occur during transportation. The agency is based in Washington, D.C. It has four regional offices, located in Anchorage, Alaska; Denver, Colorado; Ashburn, Virginia; and Seattle, Washington. The agency also operated a national training center at its Ashburn facility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aviation accidents and incidents</span> Accidental aviation occurences

An aviation accident is an event during aircraft operation that causes serious injury, death, or destruction. An aviation incident is any operating event that compromises safety but does not progress to an aviation accident. Preventing accidents and incidents is the main goal of aviation safety.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport Canada</span> Government department

Transport Canada is the department within the Government of Canada responsible for developing regulations, policies and services of road, rail, marine and air transportation in Canada. It is part of the Transportation, Infrastructure and Communities (TIC) portfolio. The current Minister of Transport is Pablo Rodriguez. Transport Canada is headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transportation Safety Board of Canada</span> Government agency

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada, officially the Canadian Transportation Accident Investigation and Safety Board is the agency of the Government of Canada responsible for advancing transportation safety in Canada. It is accountable to Parliament directly through the President of the King’s Privy Council and the Minister of Intergovernmental and Northern Affairs and Internal Trade. The independent agency investigates accidents and makes safety recommendations in four modes of transportation: aviation, rail, marine and pipelines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport Accident Investigation Commission</span> New Zealand government investigative agency for civil transportation accidents

The Transport Accident Investigation Commission is a transport safety body of New Zealand. It has its headquarters on the 7th floor of 10 Brandon Street in Wellington. The agency investigates aviation, marine, and rail accidents and incidents occurring in New Zealand, with a view to avoid similar occurrences in the future, rather than ascribing blame to any person. It does not investigate road accidents except where they affect the safety of aviation, marine, or rail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rail Accident Investigation Branch</span> British government agency

The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) is a British government agency that independently investigates rail accidents in the United Kingdom and the Channel Tunnel in order to find a cause, not to lay blame. Created in 2005, it is required by law to investigate accidents causing death, serious injuries or extensive damage. It also has authority to investigate incidents that could have resulted in accidents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Qantas Flight 30</span> 2008 aviation incident

Qantas Flight 30, on 25 July 2008, a Boeing 747-438 operated by Qantas, construction number 25067, registration VH-OJK, was a scheduled flight from London Heathrow to Melbourne with a stopover in Hong Kong. The flight was interrupted on the Hong Kong leg by an exploding oxygen tank that ruptured the fuselage just forward of the starboard wing root. 53-year-old Captain John Bartels and his co-pilots, Bernd Werninghaus and Paul Tabac, made an emergency descent to a breathable altitude of about 10,000 feet (3,048 m) and diverted to Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Metro Manila, Philippines. There were no injuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dutch Safety Board</span>

The Dutch Safety Board is the official body that investigates a wide variety of safety matters in the Netherlands. It is based in The Hague.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2000 Australia Beechcraft King Air crash</span> Aviation accident in Australia

On 4 September 2000, a chartered Beechcraft 200 Super King Air departed Perth for a flight to the mining town of Leonora, Western Australia. The aircraft crashed near Burketown, Queensland, Australia, resulting in the deaths of all eight occupants. During the flight, the aircraft climbed above its assigned altitude. When air traffic control (ATC) contacted the pilot, the pilot's speech had become significantly impaired, and he was unable to respond to instructions. Three aircraft intercepted the Beechcraft, but were unable to make radio contact. The aircraft continued flying on a straight north-easterly heading for five hours, before exhausting its fuel and crashing 40 mi (65 km) south-east of Burketown. The crash became known in the media as the "ghost flight".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Qantas Flight 72</span> 2008 aircraft incident

Qantas Flight 72 (QF72) was a scheduled flight from Singapore Changi Airport to Perth Airport by an Airbus A330. On 7 October 2008, the flight made an emergency landing at Learmonth Airport near the town of Exmouth, Western Australia, following an inflight accident that included a pair of sudden, uncommanded pitch-down manoeuvres that caused severe injuries—including fractures, lacerations and spinal injuries—to several of the passengers and crew. At Learmonth, the plane was met by the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia and CareFlight. Fourteen people were airlifted to Perth for hospitalisation, with thirty-nine others also attending hospital. In all, one crew member and eleven passengers suffered serious injuries, while eight crew and ninety-nine passengers suffered minor injuries. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigation found a fault with one of the aircraft's three air data inertial reference units (ADIRUs) and a previously unknown software design limitation of the Airbus A330's fly-by-wire flight control primary computer (FCPC).

A civil aviation authority (CAA) is a national or supranational statutory authority that oversees the regulation of civil aviation, including the maintenance of an aircraft register.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emirates Flight 407</span> 2009 aviation accident in Melbourne, Australia

Emirates Flight 407 was a scheduled international passenger flight operated by Emirates from Auckland to Dubai with a stopover in Melbourne, operated by an Airbus A340-500 aircraft. On 20 March 2009, the flight failed to take off properly at Melbourne Airport, hitting several structures at the end of the runway before climbing and then returning to the airport for a safe landing. Although no fatalities or injuries resulted, damage to the aircraft was severe enough for the event to be classified by Australian Transport Safety Bureau as an "accident". It was subsequently determined that a data-entry error resulted in insufficient engine thrust during take off. It has been described "as close as we have ever come to a major aviation catastrophe in Australia" by aviation officials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Pel-Air Westwind ditching</span>

The 2009 Pel-Air Westwind ditching or Norfolk Island ditching was an aircraft accident on 18 November 2009 near Norfolk Island, Australia. A Westwind II jet operated by Pel-Air was conducting an air ambulance flight for CareFlight International when it was forced to ditch after being unable to land in bad weather and not having sufficient fuel to divert to an alternate destination.

The Chief Investigator, Transport Safety is the independent Government agency responsible for investigation of safety-related trends and incidents in the rail, bus and marine industries in the State of Victoria, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Department of Infrastructure and Transport</span> Australian government department, 2010–2013

The Department of Infrastructure and Transport was an Australian government department. It was formed in September 2010, following the federal election in August 2010. The department absorbing parts of the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government. Regional development and local government functions were sent to the Department of Regional Australia, Regional Development and Local Government. Following the 2013 federal election, the department was renamed on 18 September 2013 to become the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development, regaining regional development and local government functions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whyalla Airlines Flight 904</span> 2000 aviation accident

Whyalla Airlines Flight 904 was a scheduled commuter flight, operated by a Piper PA-31 Navajo which crashed while attempting to ditch in the Spencer Gulf, South Australia after suffering failures of both engines on the evening of 31 May 2000. All 8 people on board the aircraft were killed as a result of the accident. The findings of a subsequent investigation by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau highlighting the airline's operating procedures as a key factor leading to the accident were later overturned after they were contradicted by evidence presented at a coronial inquiry into the deaths of those on board the flight. The safety implications arising from the accident led to a recall by engine manufacturer Textron Lycoming which saw close to 1000 aircraft grounded worldwide while defects were rectified at an estimated cost of $A66 million. Australia's aviation regulator, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority also mandated lifejackets be carried on all aircraft operating over water after the crash.

Vee H Aviation Pty Ltd, operating as Link Airways, formerly known as Fly Corporate, is an Australian regional airline based at Brisbane Airport, Queensland. The airline operates scheduled regional passenger services in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory. Link Airways operates a fleet of Saab 340B Plus and Fairchild Metro 23 turboprop aircraft.

On 3 February 2003, a Comeng electric multiple unit train rolled away from Broadmeadows station in Melbourne, Australia, before it ran for nearly 17 kilometres (11 mi) out of control without a driver and eventually crashed into another train about to depart Spencer Street station. Train controllers attempted several times to stop or redirect the train, but were limited in their ability to intervene, instead being forced to alter the route of other trains to avert a more serious collision. Eleven people on board the stationary train were injured; authorities did not know until after the crash if any passengers were on board the runaway. An investigation identified driver error as the cause of the accident, but the runaway event prompted significant debate about the role of government authorities and private operators in ensuring safety and reliability on the Melbourne rail network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wallan derailment</span> Train derailment in Australia

On 20 February 2020, a NSW TrainLink XPT passenger train derailed while passing through a turnout at Wallan, Victoria, Australia. Of the 162 total on board, there were two fatalities and 61 passengers were injured, eight of whom sustained serious injuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1994 South Pacific Airmotive DC-3 crash</span> Douglas DC-3 crash in Sydney, New South Wales

The 1994 South Pacific Airmotive DC-3 crash took place on 24 April 1994, when a Douglas DC-3 airliner operated by South Pacific Airmotive, tail number VH-EDC, ditched into Botany Bay shortly after takeoff from Sydney Airport in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The cause of the crash was determined by the Bureau of Air Safety Investigation to have been a power loss in the aircraft's left engine caused by an inlet valve being stuck in the open position, compounded by inadequate action on the part of the pilots; Rod Lovell, the pilot in command of the flight, has disputed BASI's conclusions.

References

  1. 1 2 Batt, Richard, ed. (2009). PAST PRESENT FUTURE, The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (PDF). The Australian Transport Safety Bureau. pp. 45–46. ISBN   978-1-921095-87-0. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 January 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  2. ↑ APS Statistical Bulletin 2015–2016 (Report). Australian Public Service Commission. September 2016. Archived from the original on 8 May 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  3. ↑ Batt, Richard, ed. (2009). PAST PRESENT FUTURE, The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (PDF). Australian Transport Safety Bureau. p. 1. ISBN   978-1-921095-87-0 . Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  4. ↑ Transport Safety Investigation Act 2003 (Cwlth). Canberra: Office of Parliamentary Counsel. 2016. pp. 11–12, 15. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  5. ↑ "About the ATSB". Australian Transport Safety Bureau. 10 March 2016. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  6. ↑ "Contact us". Australian Transport Safety Bureau. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "Overview of the ATSB". Australian Transport Safety Bureau. 12 October 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  8. 1 2 Batt, Richard, ed. (2009). PAST PRESENT FUTURE, The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (PDF). Australian Transport Safety Bureau. p. 27. ISBN   978-1-921095-87-0 . Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  9. ↑ Batt, Richard, ed. (2009). PAST PRESENT FUTURE, The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (PDF). pp. 61–62. ISBN   978-1-921095-87-0. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 January 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  10. 1 2 3 "National rail safety investigation reforms". Australian Transport Safety Bureau. 2 May 2018. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  11. ↑ Batt, Richard, ed. (2009). PAST PRESENT FUTURE, The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (PDF). Australian Transport Safety Bureau. p. 53. ISBN   978-1-921095-87-0. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 January 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  12. ↑ "About ONRSR". Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator. 29 August 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  13. ↑ Transport Safety Investigation Act 2003 (Cwlth). Canberra: Office of Parliamentary Counsel. 2016. p. 15. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  14. ↑ Transport Safety Investigation Act 2003 (Cwlth). Canberra: Office of Parliamentary Counsel. 2016. pp. 11–12, 15, 36. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  15. ↑ Transport Safety Investigation Act 2003 (Cwlth). Canberra: Office of Parliamentary Counsel. 2016. pp. 72–75. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  16. ↑ Transport Safety Investigation Act 2003 (Cwlth). Canberra: Office of Parliamentary Counsel. 2016. pp. 42–43. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  17. ↑ Transport Safety Investigation Act 2003 (Cwlth). Canberra: Office of Parliamentary Counsel. 2016. pp. 7–8, 58, 67–69. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.