[Peetwo]

Hoody sensitive on 07:30 Report -  

My excuse for being five days after the fact...   

Like so much of the ATSB's media/PR releases these days, the latest 'correcting the bollocks' entry was discretely published on 8th of March with absolutely zero fanfare on social media or as an official MR...

Anyway here 'tis, Hoody having a sook, with my OBS alongside... :

Correcting the Record

Inaccurate reporting on the completion of ATSB investigations by the ABC 7.30
8 March 2017

A story on ABC’s 7.30 program (7 March 2017) and an article on the ABC news website, “Air safety watchdog clearly failing”, contains inaccurate and misleading claims that require correction. - err why exactly  

Firstly, the reports quote Mr Neil Hansford as saying:

"Until a case is resolved, there can be no remedial action taken by the relevant authorities, CASA (Civil Aviation Safety Authority) or the Department of Transport or even private airport operators."

In fact, the ATSB does not wait for an investigation to be completed to bring safety matters to the attention of operators and authorities.

When the ATSB discovers critical safety issues during an investigation, it immediately brings them to the attention of relevant authorities and organisations to be addressed. - That maybe true but due to the ATSB 'beyond all reason' (BASR) methodology...

Reference video from PelAir inquiry: 

 ...unless the bureau actually promulgates an official 'safety recommendation' then public or other interested industry stakeholders are left totally unaware of such CSI's and how they are proactively addressed till the Final Report is released. (A classic example is with the 3 year Mildura fog landing incident investigation: AO-2013-100) 

It is also worth noting that because the ATSB subverts it's obligations to adhering to the ICAO (Annex 13 Chapter 6.6) obligations for interim reports/statements, there is no transparency on identified safety issues (critical or otherwise) identified in the course of an investigation:

...If the report cannot be released within twelve months, the State conducting the investigation should release an interim report on each anniversary of the occurrence, detailing the progress of the investigation and any safety issues raised...

  
NB: There is one notable exception to the above and that is with the ongoing ATR broken tail investigation.

Examples of where the ATSB has made significant world-wide transport safety improvements before its investigations were completed include the uncontained engine failure of QF32 in November 2010 and Robinson helicopter R44 fuel tank risks in April 2013.

Mr Hansford also claimed that the ATSB's failure to meet its investigation targets was linked to its role in the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.

The search for MH370 has not affected the ATSB’s core functions. Additional funding was provided by the governments of Malaysia, the People’s Republic of China and Australia to assist the ATSB lead the search for the missing aircraft.

Australian aviation safety has not been compromised by the ATSB’s lead role in the search for MH370. - This is what Mr Hanson actually said:

"It's had a major effect, because the number of resources, of people. You just take on the investigation regarding Essendon; there are four investigators on the scene almost immediately, now that's for one small aircraft.


"Now, have a look at the effect of an aircraft where we didn't know where it was, as the head of the Air Force said, 'I'm not looking at a needle in a haystack, I haven't even found the haystack.'

"So imagine the labour and the specialist people who were assigned to that...

I think Mr Hanson's comment is a fair point, especially when you consider that prior to the MH370 disaster Beaker had made redundant 12 of the ATSB's frontline staff. I also can't remember a recruitment drive solely for the extra specialist staff required for MH370...  
   
The ABC also quotes Mr Ben Morgan as saying “We cannot have scenarios where we're waiting five and seven years to wrap up an investigation”.

In fact, excluding delayed investigations beyond the control of the ATSB, the average time the ATSB takes to complete its reports is 14 months. The ATSB is seeking to improve its efficiency in meeting its self-imposed target of complex investigation reports published in 12 months. - Notice that Hoody doesn't tackle the figures actually quoted:

..ATSB aims to complete 90 per cent of investigations within 12 months....it is only completing 29 per cent of investigations in that time..

Notice also that Hoody generalises 'reports' rather than final reports for a full blown investigation. This means the 'average time' also includes the desktop short investigation reports that feature approximately once a month in the SIBs (short investigation bulletins): http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/publ...e=Aviation Short Investigation Bulletin
 



Last update 08 March 2017 
 

Verdict: Hoody simply having a sook about the dismal state of affairs at the ATSB...

Update 21/03/2017: Essendon B200 accident investigation - Preliminary report delayed.

Four days ago, via the ATSB accident investigation page - AO-2017-024 :

Updated: 17 March 2017

After spending an extended period on-site, the ATSB investigation team is now preparing a preliminary investigation report into the tragic accident at Essendon Airport. The time on-site has allowed the team to collect a large volume of evidence from a number of closed-circuit television sites and many witness statements.

The team has also extensively examined the aircraft wreckage. Importantly, with assistance from our colleagues at the United States National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the engine manufacturer, the ATSB was able to disassemble and examine both of the aircraft’s engines.

While the ATSB’s standard practice is to publicly release a preliminary factual report within 30 days of any major accident, the preliminary report release will be slightly delayed due to the extensive on-site activities required for this investigation. It is anticipated that the preliminary report will be released to the public in the week commencing 27 March 2017.

P2 comment - I still find it extraordinary that such a high profile accident investigation is updated (seemingly through stealth),with such an important message as a delay in the preliminary report, merely by a short notation on the investigation webpage. Yet today on what should have been the day the prelim report should be released, the only MR coming out of the ATSB is one where they announce that the NSW Polair have finally found the REX SAAB prop (see HERE)...


MTF...P2