The CASA Briefing
Your monthly CASA update

 Civil Aviation Safety Authority

April 2007

From CEO Bruce Byron

CEO Bruce Byron

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau's final report into the accident at Lockhart River in far North Queensland in May 2005 was released earlier this month. The report makes it very clear that, tragically, mistakes were made on the flight deck. Descent and approach speeds were excessive and about 28 seconds before impact the aircraft descended through the minimum safe altitude, which at that point, was 2060 feet. Descent was at a rate up to 2500 feet per minute when altitude was less than 2000 feet. Mistakes may have been made due to confusion about where the aircraft was on the approach track, confusion about the true altitude or attempts to get through the low cloud cover. In other words, there was a loss of situational awareness. While the investigation was not able to find enough evidence to come to a firm conclusion about the immediate cause of the accident it is clear that the standard, published approach was not being followed.

If the aircraft had been in this same situation today it is highly likely the pilots would have taken corrective action, as since 1 July 2005 aircraft of this type have been required by CASA to be fitted with Terrain Awareness and Warning Systems, rather than the more limited Ground Proximity Warning System that was on the Metroliner at the time. CASA has already acted on a number of the ATSBs earlier recommendations in relation to the accident and we are now actively analysing a further set of recommendations. I can assure the aviation industry and the community that safety improvements will be made as a result of the lessons taken from the Lockhart River tragedy. Improvements have already been made to the way CASA conducts the oversight and surveillance of regional airlines and further positive changes are being planned. However, on the available evidence there is no reasonable basis to make a direct link between CASA and the failures that occurred on the flight deck on the day of the accident.

I believe the lesson every pilot must take from this accident, and from the ATSB's report, is the absolute importance of following published procedures. If this aircraft had been following the published procedures for the RNAV instrument approach it was making into Lockhart River aerodrome the accident would not have happened.

Classification of aviation activities

A fresh way of classifying Australian aviation activities has been announced by CASA. The new system will replace the old categories of regular public transport, charter, aerial work and private operations. Instead the focus will be on the safety of people on board aircraft. Under the new system there are clear categories of people carried by aircraft - passengers, task specialists and participants. In addition, there are aircraft crew.

Passengers are people who are not expected to know about or have control over their aviation risks. Operations carrying these people are CASA's highest priority. Task specialists are people who have in-flight duties associated with the flight and who know and accept the level of risk is different to a passenger flight. Participants are people who voluntarily take part in aviation and who explicitly know and accept the risks. The highest safety standards and rules will apply to aircraft carrying passengers, with rules for crew-only flights to the base-line.

Under the new system there will be three broad classes of operations: passenger transport, aerial work and general and freight activity. Passenger transport will cover what are now known as regular public transport and charter flights. These will continue to require an air operators certificate. Aerial work will cover operations such as emergency and medical flights, law enforcement, aerial survey and aerial agriculture. Some of these activities will require an air operators certificate, while others will be regulated using other permissions or operational limitations, depending on the level of risk. General and freight only will cover most private flights, flying training, freight-only flights and others where only the crew is on board an aircraft. Air operators certificates will be required for some activities in this class, such as large freight operations, while others will not require a permission from CASA.

The policy will be implemented as CASA issues new Civil Aviation Safety Regulations.  Until these regulations are in-place all current regulatory requirements continue to apply.

Read the full policy.

Australia-US cooperate to make GPS better

Australia and the United States have formally agreed to meet annually to work towards improvements for the civil use of the Global Positioning System and regional augmentations to GPS.  Officials met in Canberra in late April to discuss a range of GPS related issues.  Areas identified for cooperation between Australia and the US include: enhanced mechanisms for notification of GPS satellite operational changes, promoting broader utilisation of augmentations to the Global Navigation Satellite System, coordinating radio frequency spectrum used by GNSS, encouraging access to information needed to develop and build future generations of GNSS and encouraging international mechanisms to promote the use of GNSS.  A formal statement issued after the meeting said that Australia and the US have a shared interest in space-based positioning, navigation and timing systems for civil, commercial and scientific uses.

Read the joint Australian and US delegation statement on GPS.

Changes to CASA fees

The fees CASA charges for regulatory services are changing on 1 July this year. This is so CASA meets the Australian Government's requirements for cost recovery for services. While the complete list of fee variations has not yet been finalised, many changes have been determined. For pilots, many fees for flight crew licences will in fact go down. However, there will be some new fees or changes to existing fees. These include a $25 charge for printing a flight crew examination record and $25 for printing a copy of a flight crew licence. The cost of renewing Aviation Security Identification Cards will also increase, due to a rise in the charges by security agencies for doing background security checks.

The good news is the cost of pilot medicals will drop from $130 to $75.

Find out more about changes to fees.

New training packages for regional operators

CASA will be rolling out several training and support packages later this year aimed at regional airline and charter operations. This follows an identified need to provide additional safety and risk management resources to the smaller, regional passenger-carrying sector. CASA will develop training materials for pilots in areas such as situational awareness, threat and error management, fatigue, safety and error reporting, perceptions and illusions and stress. The training will be both self and class based instruction, using DVDs, information booklets, checklists and presentations. CASA will make this package available to flying schools as well.

Smaller, regional aviation operators will also get more support. These operators can face financial, technological or workforce pressures, particularly when expanding or changing operations. CASA will develop a Safety Management Toolkit that builds on existing education and training material on safety management systems. There will be written material giving advice on change management. This will look at important issues such as changing equipment, personnel, classification of operations, organisational structures and new routes.

Find out more about better regional aviation safety.

Flying hours on the up and up

The flying training industry is leading the way in the strong growth in the general aviation sector, with an increase in hours flown of more than 18 per cent in 2005. The latest official figures show that overall general aviation flying hours increased by 4.7 per cent in 2005 - the first rise in GA activity since 1998. Hours flown in aerial agriculture were up by 9.8 per cent in 2005, while business rose by 4.3 per cent and aerial work 2 per cent. GA charter operations recorded a 0.3 per cent increase in hours flown. Private flying hours dropped in 2005 by 3.2 per cent. In the sports aviation sector, ultralight use increased by 6.7 per cent, hang gliding by 1.7 per cent and gyroplane activity by 12.2 per cent.

Read the full report on GA activity by the Bureau of Transport and Regional Economics.

Find out more about rule changes

CASA is about to offer a set of streamlined web pages that will keep aviation people informed about the development and implementation of new regulations. The comprehensive and informative web pages that currently cover rule changes and regulatory reform projects will be more closely integrated with the rest of CASA's web site. This will include a design and navigation revamp, all aimed at making it easier for people to move across the entire CASA web site. All of the information on regulatory reform will be retained, although the way it is accessed may change.

Watch out for changes to the way rule change information is communicated.

R22 and R44 rotor blade action

CASA has advised operators and owners of Robinson R22 and R44 helicopters to follow a manufacturer's safety alert on main rotor blade skin disbonding. Several R22 main rotor blade skins have been found disbonded at the outboard tip lower surface where the skin butts up against the spar. Several similar disbonds have occurred on R44 blades. The disbond may occur when the paint is eroded enough to expose the leading edge of the lower skin bondline. When the bondline is exposed, erosive material such as sand or dust causes rapid erosion of the bondline and subsequent lifting of the skin. Once the skin has lifted a small amount, airflow causes the skin to continue to peel back. Pre-flight inspection of this area will allow early detection of a disbond before it progresses.

Robinson has produced service letters setting out the actions to be taken by maintainers if a blade requires refinishing.

Read the Airworthiness Bulletin and service letters.

Lithium battery warning

Everyone in the aviation industry is being warned to be aware of the risks Lithium batteries can pose when carried in baggage or as freight. Earlier this year the US Department of Transportation issued new advice on the safe transport of Lithium batteries and battery powered devices. This followed two incidents on board commercial aircraft this year. In the first incident a fire broke out in an overhead baggage locker and the preliminary investigation indicated one or more loose batteries may have caused the fire. The second incident, in March this year, involved a battery overheating or igniting. In both cases aircraft crew quickly extinguished fires and the aircraft landed safely.

Lithium batteries are used in many mobile telephones, laptop computers, cameras and other portable devices. Spare batteries must be kept in their original packaging, loose batteries should be covered with insulating tape to stop contact with metal or carried in a plastic case. Batteries should also be transported in aircraft carry-on baggage rather than checked baggage.

Find out more about dangerous goods.

GA people: have your say now

The Australian Government is urging people who are part of the general aviation sector to have their say on the future of the industry. A new paper has been issued that examines a range of key issues for the future of GA. These include airport access, safety and security regulations, economic issues, changing technologies and education and skills for pilots and engineers. The paper has been released as part of the Government's General Aviation Industry Action Agenda. Transport Minister Mark Vaile says: "the General Aviation Industry Action Agenda aims to foster industry leadership, help the industry develop strategies for growth, agree on priorities and make commitments to change. This issues paper is a starting point for the General Aviation Action Agenda to build on. I would encourage the members of this vital Australian industry to support the Action Agenda by continuing to share their views and ideas about the future of the industry through the submission process."

Find out more about the GA action agenda.