[Peetwo]

Those are some fairly disturbing figures out of Jandy.
As much as I detest mainstream media, below is a link to yesterday's bingle between an F-16 and Cessna in the USA;

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/repo...ne-n388046

So don't be fooled Miniscule, Beaker and Skid-Mark, these things DO happen!

Good catch Gobbles, here is another take on the same story courtesy of AvWeb:

Two Dead In F-16-Cessna Collision
(Updated)

By AVweb Staff | July 7, 2015




A father and son aboard a Cessna 150 were killed when their aircraft was reportedly "broadsided" by an Air Force F-16 over Moncks Corner, South Carolina, on Tuesday. The F-16 pilot, Maj. Aaron Johnson, ejected and was not hurt. The jet crashed in a wooded area and nobody on the ground was hurt. The NTSB is examining both crash sites and on Wednesday identified Joseph Johnson, 30, as the pilot of the Cessna, and his father Michael Johnson, 68, as his passenger. Crews were still searching Wednesday for Joseph Johnson's body, according to an Associated Press report. The fighter was based at Shaw AFB in Sumter. The jet was on a training mission practicing instrument approaches to Charleston International Airport, which shares the field with Charleston Air Force Base.

Investigator Dennis Diaz told The AP that the F-16 "was able to fly in some fashion for a period of time after the accident, which is why we have an aircraft site that’s separated by about 10 miles.” The fighter was under "positive control" by air traffic control Col. Stephen Jost, commander of the 20th Fighter Squadron told a news conference. The Cessna had just taken off from Berkely County Airport, a non towered airport about 17 miles northwest of Charleston, The Cessna was headed for Myrtle Beach and the collision occurred between 2,000 and 3,000 feet. Jost said the 20,000-pound F-16 would have been going between 230 and 290 mph at the time.

The Cessna was smashed to small pieces by the impact and debris rained down over an eight mile area  about 20 miles northwest of Charleston. There were no reports of injury or damage on the ground. Weather was overcast but Jost told a news conference he didn't believe weather was a factor. The F-16 left a crater and smashed trees in the woods surrounding the historic Lewisfield Plantation. Workers at the plantation found the pilot and took him to ambulance personnel who drove him to the base, where he was being kept for observation.

   
Moving on and I note another 'good news' story coming out of the ATSB, that again does not include the Grandstanding Beaker...hurrah to that!

Media release

Title

Report to educate aerial agriculture and firefighting pilots
 
Date: 10 July 2015
As aerial agriculture pilots prepare for an early spring start to their busiest time of year, a new ATSB report highlights past aviation safety events in the industry.

ATSB's Manager Reporting and Analysis, Dr Stuart Godley said, 'ATSB has been working closely with the Aerial Agricultural Association of Australia (AAAA) to strengthen their long-standing education and training program by using reported incidents and ATSB investigations to identify key learning opportunities for pilots.

'The statistics clearly identify a long term trend in improving safety in the sector, but both ATSB and AAAA remain committed to improving the safety record even further.

'These statistics should serve as a reminder of the risks these pilots will face during the season that are not present in most other types of flying. Hazards include low-level flying with high workloads and numerous obstacles, in particular powerlines and uneven terrain.

'The good news is that, while these risks are always present, they are generally manageable', said Dr Godley.

The report focuses on aerial application accidents between May 2014 and April 2015 to coincide with the agriculture season in most parts of Australia.

Dr Godley said, 'Wirestrike was the most prevalent type of occurrence with more than half of the total accidents and serious incidents involving a wirestrike'.

Mr Phil Hurst, CEO of the AAAA said, 'We approached ATSB with the idea of producing an annual statement of safety trends in the industry to support aerial application pilots in their ongoing professional development through AAAA’s comprehensive ‘Professional Pilot Program’ and training courses.
 
'This report is a very useful addition to the tools available to professional low level pilots and AAAA thanks ATSB for their practical response in improving access to the valuable safety data they hold.'

There were 13 accidents with one resulting in fatal injury in the preceding 12 months. In total, there were 24 reported accidents and incidents involving aerial agriculture and firefighting operations.

Read the report: Aerial application safety: 2014 to 2015 year in review

Media contact: contact ATSB on 1800 020 616 or Phil Hurst (AAAA) on 0427 622 430

Dr Godley again (see ABC PM transcript above), he seems to be making regular media appearances for the ATSB lately. He also (surprisingly) featured at last Estimates and IMO he made an excellent account of himself as well. See Kharon's post today here - Strange, but hardly surprising - or on the tail end of this Estimates clip:

Accolades to Stuart Godley (on behalf of the ATSB) & Phil Hurst (representing the AAAA) for an excellent proactive initiative - & no muppets or CASA in sight...

MTF...P2