[P7_TOM]

Parthian shot.   By way of metaphor, "Parthian shot" also is used to describe a barbed insult, delivered as the speaker departs.

Some would say this was a cowards way; not all, but some.  No matter, as the Stalewheel stated; pick on one - take on all.

The gentleman concerned has not, as yet, RSVP'd his invitation for a cup of tea with Aunty Pru.  I can't imagine why not; can you children?

BOOH.!!....

[Kharon]

The first of many “We did warn you” 

That the ATSB retained any credibility after the Pel-Air ditching off Norfolk Island; or, that Commissioner Dolan managed to keep his job after an extensive inquiry into his handling of the investigation, resulting in public censure from the Senate, is one of the great mysteries. Perhaps the whole thing was viewed (or presented) as an aberration; a one off, and restricted to local consumption.  

Since then, not only has nothing changed within the ATSB, but the quality of reports, eventually published by ATSB remain less than useful, being PC and subjected to the ‘Beyond all Reason’ methodology.  Yet the Dolan quest for personal public exposure has continued through a series of press interviews and active involvement in the MH 370 search.  There were many warning signs that eventually, Australia would loose international face and Dolan’s track record would come back to further condemn the Australian government and the efforts of honest folk within the ATSB.  Time magazine –HERE – seem to have got the message and delivered it. 

How long now before the world associates Australian efforts with the Malaysian mayhem.  Not too long I’d say        

“We are delighted that the debris ended up in France,” Wattrelos told BFM television in France on Thursday. “I have a lot more confidence in my country than in Malaysia and Australia, who have lied to us since the beginning.”

Australia’s credibility as search leader suffered a battering thanks to a series of false leads that were oversold by its government, which was eager to boast success after the hunt shifted to its search and rescue zone in the southern Indian Ocean after the plane disappeared.

Two apparent large objects spotted in satellite imagery off the west Australian coast in March 2014 were declared the “best lead” yet, before they turned out to be unrelated. The next month, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said officials were confident that a series of underwater signals search crews had detected were coming from the plane’s coveted black box data recorders. That was also wrong.

The failure to find a single piece of Flight 370-related debris in a surface search covering 4.6 million square kilometers (1.8 million square miles) over six weeks raised serious questions about whether they were looking in the right place. And the search area has been altered many times.

Australian Transport Safety Bureau chief commissioner Martin Dolan denied his agency, which is leading the search, had misled anyone or withheld information. And though the search area was changed several times as officials revised the scant data available, it has been the same since October, he said.

“As soon as new or changed information comes to light, we make it available,” Dolan told The Associated Press on Friday.

The ATSB has also faced criticism for making a mistake in its original drift modeling, which initially predicted debris would wash ashore in Indonesia, rather than the area east of Africa where the flaperon turned up. The bureau issued a statement this week saying a revised analysis showed that, in fact, debris could be carried by currents to the area near Reunion Island.

Dolan said the ATSB didn’t withhold that error, and instead had been working with Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, to recalculate the drift area after noticing flaws in the model in November.

“We had to work with CSIRO to check the facts and as soon as we had something that was checked, we published it,” Dolan said. “We were in the process with CSIRO of publishing that revised drift modeling when the flaperon turned up at Reunion.”

Toot toot..

[Peetwo]

Dolan back from Toulouse & back to old tricks - FCOL

Search for MH370 May Ramp up Soon With New Sonar Equipment

CANBERRA, Australia — Aug 26, 2015, 7:16 AM ET
By ROD McGUIRK Associated Press




The deep sea hunt for the missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner will likely include cutting-edge sonar equipment when it ramps up again in October after the stormy southern hemisphere winter has passed, the Australian search leader said Wednesday.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau, which oversees the recovery operation on Malaysia's behalf, has been criticized by some deep-sea salvage experts for not choosing synthetic aperture sonar, or SAS, from the outset of the search for Flight 370 that began far off the west Australian coast in October last year.

With the standard side-scan sonar that has been used to scour half the search area so far, the sonar image of a seabed feature becomes less clear the farther it is away. With SAS, the sonar image remains sharp regardless of the feature's distance.

Martin Dolan, the bureau's chief commissioner, said negotiations are underway to hire SAS equipment to add to a fourth ship that would join the search during the approaching summer, with the aim of combing the entire 120,000-square kilometer (46,000-square mile) search area in the Indian Ocean by the middle of next year.

Only two ships have continued the search through the harsh winter months using standard side-scan sonar.

"Our preference would be to get synthetic if we can, but we can make use of conventional side-scan," Dolan said.

"The advantage of synthetic is that you can get greater resolution, so it helps in those areas that require closer examination," he said.

Fugro Survey Pty. Ltd., the Dutch underwater survey company hired by Australia to search for the plane that vanished on March 8 last year with 239 people aboard, has defended its use of traditional side-scan sonar. Fugro search director Paul Kennedy has described SAS as developing technology with some questions about its reliability.

Critics fear that aircraft wreckage several hundred meters (yards) from traditional side-scan sonar transponders could be invisible. Fugro points to its success in March in finding a 19th century ship wreck more than 300 meters (900 feet) from a sonar transponder as proof that their equipment works.

The search has covered more than 60,000 square kilometers (23,000 square miles) of seabed, focusing on flat and featureless expanses where the expensive sonar equipment can be towed quickly with less risk of crashing into underwater mountains.

But the searched area includes holes that searchers describe as "data gaps due to shadows caused by geological features." These sonar shadows have been catalogued and will be searched later before any seabed is declared free of wreckage.

Dolan said these shadows will be searched in detail from October by an underwater drone equipped with a video camera. The so-called autonomous underwater vehicle has spent the winter at the Australian port city of Fremantle because it does not cope well with mountainous winter seas.

He hopes SAS will also be used to search shadows. But even without SAS, he expects the search will be completed by June or July if wreckage is not found.

Senior government officials from Australia, Malaysia and China — which lost 153 Chinese citizens in the disaster — are to meet in Australia next month to discuss the future funding of the search.

So far, the underwater search has cost 80 million Australian dollars ($57 million), with the Australian and Malaysian governments splitting the cost. China refused in June a request to pay a third.

Malaysia has so far committed to spending a total of AU$43 million. Australia expects the search will cost another AU$80 million in the fiscal year that started July 1, and hopes Malaysia will again pay half.

This bit..

"...Martin Dolan, the bureau's chief commissioner, said negotiations are underway to hire SAS equipment to add to a fourth ship that would join the search during the approaching summer, with the aim of combing the entire 120,000-square kilometer (46,000-square mile) search area in the Indian Ocean by the middle of next year.

Only two ships have continued the search through the harsh winter months using standard side-scan sonar.

"Our preference would be to get synthetic if we can, but we can make use of conventional side-scan," Dolan said.

"The advantage of synthetic is that you can get greater resolution, so it helps in those areas that require closer examination," he said..."

....IMO perfectly highlights how this Muppet manipulates the narrative with spin & bulldust, weasel words, for the single purpose of self-preservation and self-aggrandisement.

Case in point, back on the 2nd June the ATSB CC came out swinging in defence of MH370 SIO deep sea search contractor Fugro Survey Pty Ltd (Dolan quotes in bold & blue, relevant refs in bold):

The capability of the MH370 search operation

2 June 2015

Recent news reports about the search for MH370 have included highly inaccurate assertions about the search and how it is being conducted.

The ATSB strongly refutes assertions that Fugro Survey Pty Ltd was not the best choice to undertake the underwater search or that the search methods are ineffective. The search is being carried out to the highest standards of effectiveness and quality.

“These attacks are unfounded and unfair”, said Chief Commissioner Martin Dolan. “The search for MH370 represents thousands of hours of work by hundreds of people who are dedicated, expert and professional. They are fully committed to finding the aircraft.


“The opportunity to tender services for the search for MH370 was open to the international underwater search industry. We received a number of tenders which encompassed a range of different capabilities and methods. A comprehensive and exhaustive evaluation process was conducted in line with strict Australian Government procurement and probity rules.


“I am very conscious that we must use taxpayers’ money responsibly. Fugro’s bid represented the best value for money and demonstrated that they could capably manage the technical aspects of this challenging search operation and deliver the necessary results.”

Fugro has been involved with numerous aircraft and helicopter search and recovery operations since the 1980s. They have been using the Edgetech Deeptow side-scan sonar systems since the mid-90s and have one of the largest commercial AUV fleets in the world for performing commercial surveys in deep water.

Their ability to detect man-made objects on the seafloor in ultra-deep water is evidenced by the recent detection of a previously unknown shipwreck.

“The debris in the shipwreck field was significantly smaller, and therefore harder to detect, than we expect to find with MH370,” Chief Commissioner Dolan said.

“The ATSB has put in place systems of review and expert quality assurance so we can be certain that the quality of search data meets the high standards we have specified,” said Chief Commissioner Dolan. “We selected Fugro on their capacity to meet those standards.”

As part of its quality assurance process, the ATSB has enlisted the expertise of Sherrell Ocean Services founded by Andrew Sherrell, one of the leading sonar search specialists in the world, who has worked on a number of commercial air investigations, including the search and recovery of Air France 447, TWA 800, and Egypt Air 990.

Mr Sherrell has been involved as the Quality Assurance Manager in many elements of the search for MH370, beginning with the tender process and continuing with the planning of the search and review of the gathered sonar data. Mr Sherrell said he is confident that the appropriate technology is being used.

“The equipment was tested thoroughly in ocean trials at a purpose-built test range to ensure the maximum swath width without compromising the detection capability. Fugro’s faster-than-average tow speed enables them to scan significant amounts of sea floor per operational day. As a result, we are seeing substantial coverage with the required level of resolution,” said Mr Sherrell.

“We have a rigorous and thorough quality assurance program that ensures appropriate overlap between adjacent swaths and positioning of each line as well. We are achieving very accurate and consistent results with a new state-of-the-art positioning system that gives us full confidence in the towfish position, even 9km behind the vessel.

“Furthermore, we verify this system by using the accurate bathymetry maps collected during Phase 1 of this search. By matching specific features on the seafloor, we can ensure that the positions being calculated are correct, and we do this for every single line of data collected. We also perform feature matching with the side scan sonar data between adjacent lines to ensure sufficient overlap of data is maintained. This is also done on every line as it is collected, with any deficiencies documented and catalogued.

“In addition, Fugro are using multibeam sonar to supplement the side scan sonar equipment; this covers the traditional “nadir” gap directly below the towfish. The multibeam ensures more complete coverage of the seafloor it passes over. This is optimising our rate of progress, and is a feature that is not available on some older systems that are still in use by other organisations.”

Without this type of system, a much higher percentage of seafloor would need to be covered twice to fill in this missing data. Duplicating coverage of the seafloor not only increases the cost of the search, but also the time required to cover the search area. Using a multibeam sonar in this way is a very efficient technique for covering large areas of seafloor.

“The challenges remain,” Chief Commissioner Dolan said. “The search zone is remote, the weather and sea conditions are difficult  and the search area is vast, but I’ve never had any doubt about the capabilities of Fugro, their commitment to the mission or their professionalism.”

Okay so why the about face nearly three months down the track??- UFB..

MTF...P2  

Ps Again the parallels with the ATSB complicity with the CASA PelAir cover-up is quite remarkable.

Pps Dear Miniscule the ATSB CC is still yet to reply/respond to your SOE - Minister's expectations . Much like most of your department - see here - it would appear that Dolan is also thumbing his nose at you & ultimately the coalition government.

[Gobbledock]

Robert S. McNamara once said;

"All the evidence of history suggests that man is indeed a rational animal, but with a near infinite capacity for folly. . . . He draws blueprints for Utopia, but never quite gets it built. In the end he plugs away obstinately with the only building material really ever at hand--his own part comic, part tragic, part cussed, but part glorious nature".

This aptly described super sleuth Beaker. He has an infinite capacity for folly, he speaks of 'beyond reason' and safety utopia yet it is all spin and bollocks. He is indeed an individual who is part tragic and part cussed, and he sees himself as being glorious, yet in reality he is a beard on/beard off spin sprouting Muppet with the credibility of a cane-toad!

Dear French persons, feel free to take Beaker back to France and may we never have to see or hear from the master of mi mi mi ever again.

Warm regards
Gobbles 

[crankybastards]

A Frenchman and Beaker walk into a bar and the barman notices they have a duck on their heads.

The barman says, "Where did you get them?"

Both ducks reply, "Paris, there's millions of them!"

[Kharon]

Way I heard it was as part of the $25,999 package, Beaker was to take scuba lessons, so as to save the tax payer money.  The notion was that if he could overcome aqua phobia, then the retrieval of CVR gear from reasonable depths could be done in a ‘cost effective’ but safe, ICAO compliant manner.  Not to mention front page photo’s of Beaker with a half peeled wet suit, clutching a six year old relic could be plastered all over ‘le’ monde’ and other salubrious publications.  Win – win and the girls would love it – Butch Beaker.

Alas, not to be; flatly refusing to take his socks off in the men’s changing rooms proved too much for the French; Beaker was smuggled out, a heart beat away from the tumbril and a lunch date with M. Defrage (who knits socks, by the by).  

Aye well, his Mum’s pleased to have home I dare say.  No doubt she’ll write a note to Wazza, explaining it all.  UFB? - damn straight.

Toot toot.

[Peetwo]

This was our friendly frog Oceankoto's take on Beaker's impromptu departure from the beautiful Toulouse...



MTF...P2

[Peetwo]

Off with the fairies! 

Well now that CC Beaker is back from Toulouse we finally get a mad flurry of activity from the embarrassingly poor performing ATSB...

From off @atsbinfo twitter account:

@atsbinfo Aug 30

ATSB releases corporate plan outlining its priorities and objectives over the next 4 years http://www.atsb.gov.au/about_atsb/corporateplan2015.aspx …

..&

@atsbinfo Aug 30

ATSB corporate plan also responds to Minister's statement of expectations http://www.atsb.gov.au/about_atsb/ministers-statement-of-expectations.aspx#.VeOnS-H8uLU.twitter …

After reading the ATSB CP the tweet directly above is absolute bollocks...   

Corporate Plan 2015–16


Introduction

As the accountable authority of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), I am pleased to present the ATSB’s Corporate Plan for 2015–16, which covers the period 2015–16 to 2018–19.

This Corporate Plan sets out the ATSB’s purpose, its strategies for achieving that purpose and how the effect of the strategies and the attainment of the ATSB’s purpose will be measured. It has been prepared in accordance with paragraph 35(1)(b) of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013. The Plan takes account of the relevant provisions of the Transport Safety Investigation Act 2003 (the TSI Act), which establishes the ATSB. It also has regard to the views of the Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development on the ATSB’s strategic direction as notified under Section 12AE of the TSI Act.

The TSI Act provides that the ATSB’s primary purpose is to improve the safety of aviation, rail and marine transport through accident investigation, data analysis and safety education. It must do so independently, but in cooperation with the other organisations that share responsibility for transport safety, including counterpart organisations in other countries. Successive governments, including the current one, have indicated that, in carrying out its role, the ATSB should give priority to the safety of the travelling public.

The ATSB is required to maintain the people, information and systems to be a world leader in its field. This includes the standing capability to respond immediately to a significant transport safety event, whether it be a major accident or, as is the current case, to undertake a major safety project such as the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. This plan sets out its strategies for doing so in an environment of fast technological advances, constrained resources and significant demographic change in its workforce.

The ATSB has consistently proven itself to be at the forefront internationally in its capability and in its results. I look forward to continuing that achievement as the ATSB implements this Corporate Plan.
 
Martin Dolan
Chief Commissioner
31 August 2015
 
Purpose
Environment
Performance
Capability
Risk oversight and management
Values and principals

This section is so full of horse-pooh & bollocks I simply had to quote it LOL...

Risk oversight and management


The ATSB has established a risk management framework which facilitates the assessment of risk across the ATSB’s broad range of business activities. The ATSB uses its enterprise risk assessments to identify obstacles to the ATSB achieving its objectives as well as to identify opportunities for improved service delivery. Risk management in the ATSB is about improving organisational performance and resilience, providing the ATSB with confidence to make difficult decisions and seize opportunities.

The ATSB’s Risk Management Policy and Guidelines are reviewed and updated annually and approved by the Chief Commissioner as the Accountable Authority, the Commission and the Audit Committee. The Policy and Guidelines are intended to be read with the ATSB Enterprise Risk Register and Management Plan. These documents facilitate an agency-wide understanding of the ATSB’s risk profile which, in turn, informs the identification, control and treatments of risk at both the Enterprise and business unit level.

As Australia’s national aviation, maritime and rail safety investigator, the ATSB is experienced in risk management for the purpose of identifying safety risks in the industry so that they can be effectively managed. In a risk management framework, these safety risks are shared risks where the ATSB, the regulator and industry participants need to work together in order to be able to improve safety.

In its Enterprise Risk Register the ATSB has recognised that its ability to identify significant risks to aviation safety is at risk due to factors such as the tight resource environment which affects the ATSB’s capacity to analyse data and conduct systemic investigation. The ATSB has a number of controls in place to try and manage this risk including scoping and prioritising investigations. The ATSB Strategic Workforce Plan will assist the agency with the management of its tight resources to the greatest effect.

The ATSB continues to implement its risk management framework to assist the agency with overcoming major challenges related to growth and change. Recently the ATSB risk managed its expansion to become the national rail investigator as part of the National Rail Safety Reforms. The ATSB is currently using a mature approach to risk management to guide its activities in the search for the missing Malaysia Airline aircraft MH370.

Searching for missing aircraft and planning for their recovery are not part of the ATSB’s core business. However, the ATSB has been able to undertake the lead role in the search by ensuring that it is proactive in identifying the obstacles to a successful operation and adapting and mobilising resources expediently to overcome these obstacles.
 
To ensure the ATSB continues to overcome risks to its core business and take on challenges that require the agency to adapt and change, the ATSB will advance its risk management framework, in line with the Commonwealth Risk Management Framework.

The ATSB will align its risk management framework with its Corporate Plan and other business planning documents to ensure risk management is fully integrated into all the ATSB’s business activities in order to:

• inform the overall strategic picture with consideration of individual business unit risks
  
• inform strategic planning and the allocation of resources
  
• encourage an appreciation of entity wide risk and allow business units to individually contribute to the ATSB’s enterprise risk mitigation
  
• provide an ATSB-wide perspective on risk management across the range of enterprise and individual business unit risks
  
• inform decision making on optimising the design and efficiency of risk controls
  
• implement a consistent approach to the assessment and management of risks for both operational tasks and corporate service delivery
  
• minimize exposure to risk by having enterprise risk treatments and risk controls integrated into all aspects of the ATSB’s business
  
• ensure that all business units consider contributing treatments at business unit level in mitigating agency enterprise risks
  
• ensure that ATSB management and staff maintain a focus on risk and risk management in their day-to-day activities, contract management, service delivery and forward planning
  
• ensuring that ATSB staff consider risk in both an external and internal context
  
• provide assurance that shared risks are properly identified and addressed
  
• assist in an understanding whether the risks associated with ATSB business processes impact the ATSB and/or external parties
  
• ensure that, for all risks rated medium and above, contingency plans are in place if the risk event is realised.
  

{Comment: The bit in bold to do with the MH370 SIO deep sea search - What a load of bollocks & God help the NOK!}

Dear Miniscule if you cannot see by now that this Muppet is taking the Mickey Bliss of you & the Abbott Government, well put simply - you are off with the fairies??  

MTF..P2

ps Geez those KPIs are a bit dodgy Beaker...

[Gobbledock]

P2;

ps Geez those KPIs are a bit dodgy Beaker...

The master Muppets KPI's are always going to be of a nature where he can either achieve them and get his bonus, or simply not achieve them while still earning a bonus and knowing that with the level of protection that the government offers his poorly run outfit he will never get into trouble if he doesn't meet his KPI's.

As P2 has determinedly pointed out on many occasions - ITS ALL BOLLOCKS

Mi mii mi mi mi

[Kharon]

The corporate cloak and the minions dagger are, once again, used to service industry.

We let the Skidmore response to the Ministers SoE slide by as it masterfully side stepped  the government stated intent to follow the Forsyth reforms; there were enough loop holes, escape clauses and weasel words to ensure and prove that which has become increasingly obvious during the Skidmore reign.  There is no hope of serious reform.  That has been made clear since the Muff took centre stage, all that remained was for the Murky Machiavellian crew to put out a statement making it ‘kosher’.  Skidmore is a past master of talking well and achieving SFA, except that which ‘fostered and promoted’ his own legend.  So it was no big disappointment when the ‘statement’ was published.

But ATSB should know better; this ‘thing’ Dolan has signed off is another escape route, crafted by experts with the sole aim of changing sod all, while looking good.  You can easily picture it; there’s Beaker, fresh from another failed attempt at swimming lessons; feeding his face on the best of Toulouse tucker, when a text pings in – “Sign this Mate, all will be well, enjoy your break, L&K MM”.   “OK” texts Beaker; “Use the one on record”.  And so the legend of the ATSB is continued; unabated, unashamed and unrepentant.

Aye, nothing to see, move along, the new whitewash will cover the blood stains and the cloak of mystique will vanish all trace of the aberrations and indecency inflicted on the public, who have a right to expect better.

Selah.

[Peetwo]

The corporate cloak and the minions dagger are, once again, used to service industry.

We let the Skidmore response to the Ministers SoE slide by as it masterfully side stepped  the government stated intent to follow the Forsyth reforms; there were enough loop holes, escape clauses and weasel words to ensure and prove that which has become increasingly obvious during the Skidmore reign.  There is no hope of serious reform.  That has been made clear since the Muff took centre stage, all that remained was for the Murky Machiavellian crew to put out a statement making it ‘kosher’.  Skidmore is a past master of talking well and achieving SFA, except that which ‘fostered and promoted’ his own legend.  So it was no big disappointment when the ‘statement’ was published.

But ATSB should know better; this ‘thing’ Dolan has signed off is another escape route, crafted by experts with the sole aim of changing sod all, while looking good.  You can easily picture it; there’s Beaker, fresh from another failed attempt at swimming lessons; feeding his face on the best of Toulouse tucker, when a text pings in – “Sign this Mate, all will be well, enjoy your break, L&K MM”.   “OK” texts Beaker; “Use the one on record”.  And so the legend of the ATSB is continued; unabated, unashamed and unrepentant.

Aye, nothing to see, move along, the new whitewash will cover the blood stains and the cloak of mystique will vanish all trace of the aberrations and indecency inflicted on the public, who have a right to expect better.

Selah.

ATSB CP Bullocks - Spring cleaning whitewash.


Never thought I'd say it but the ATSB is now officially one of the unblocked holes - organisational influences - in a very mouldy lump of Aussie Swiss Cheese.

Further to my post from the bump in the night thread - Of risks, red flags, ridiculous responses and a rooted system - PartII...
 

It is now obvious that the mandarins & minions in charge are air-brushing over a significant crater in the mouldy - aviation safety - Swiss Cheese. Instead of mitigating safety risk they are perpetuating and adding to the risk...FFS - ICAO...FAA..NTSB..TSBC anyone??- SOS      

It is worth reflecting on the causal chain for this bizarre phenomenon, where the so called air safety watchdog is complicit in helping cover-up multiple identified significant safety risk issues.

From the Oz Matthew Denholm article today:

It was released on request to The Australian, with the bureau saying it no longer classified such radar failures as “incidents” ­requiring inclusion in its incident reports database.

“In 2013, the ATSB changed its Australia-wide coding practice for classifying infrastructure reports,” a bureau spokesman said. “As a result, notifications of infrastructure failures are only included in the aviation safety occurrence data if the event ­affected the safety of an aircraft.”

  
This ATSB change in methodology in recording (or not recording) incidents on the bureau occurrence database also has much wider implications, as not only will those incident records be lost to Aussie industry stakeholders but also to the Worldwide aviation community.

It should also be noted that the ATSB whitewash of the ATCO reported TASWAM incidents - much like the PelAir cover-up - is not in anyway an isolated aberration.

I refer to a post of mine from the search for IP thread -
[*]#post9:

They ought to as the iceberg is well and truly exposed -  the myriad of QF issues since 2008, Lockhart, Pel Air, REX vs a coal loader, a bent VA ATR that simply defies belief that it never speared in, and the list goes on. The muppets at CAsA like to talk about 'red flags'. Well there are so many red flags covering the feckin Australian landscape it looks like the crash scene from the Germanwings crash. ICAO and the FAA must be concerned, surely?

Well you'd think so wouldn't you?? Not so much the smaller flying tin incidents but the Mildura fog incident and a couple of those recent ATC LOSA events you would of thought may have grabbed their attention?? Hmm...maybe there is some sort of filtering going on between the time the original incident report is received & when the official ATSB incident report is forwarded to ICAO for input into the iSTAR database?? Who knows but it is certainly passing strange and we all know that the powers to be have been caught fudging the books before...  

 Wikileaks: Australia nearly lost its air safety rating 
2004 AUDIT REPORT OF THE AUSTRALIAN TRANSPORT SAFETY BUREAU (ATSB)
{Ref: In particular see Appendix 5-1} 

Oh well at least we seem to have made some progress to aviation safety reform with the recent release of the 2015 ATSB/CASA MoU - see here or here.

However until such time as someone acknowledges that the muppet Dolan has to go, we will continue to get absolute bullshit statements like this in the joint ATSB/CASA MoU presser... {Comment: Or in the latest ATSB Corporate Plan} 


"...Mr Dolan said, ‘the MOU spells out how the two agencies will cooperate in the interests of improving aviation safety. We are working together - with the ATSB identifying safety issues through its investigations and findings, and CASA and the industry responding to those issues, as appropriate - to promote high standards of aviation safety.’ ..." 

Those words should - coming from the head of the ATSB - provide reassurance that maybe the worm has turned & after the PelAir cover-up debacle, the ATSB is on the road to recovering some of its former reputation & effectiveness as the Australian air safety watchdog. Unfortunately coming from Dolan - who has absolutely no credibility whatsoever and could not lie straight in bed - they are empty words coupled with much recent evidence (besides PelAir) to the contrary...

[*]

  Also refer to Ben's past article - Did Australia mislead ICAO over the Pel-Air crash?

Here was some quoted comments:


ME...

And on the subject of is Australia misleading ICAO? IMO that would be an emphatic yes…

From #P9:

“..The sketchy track record of playing fast and loose with ICAO protocols is not mentioned, that’s all of’ em. Australia has over 1600, registered differences which, rather cleverly, make it ‘technically’ compliant with ICAO, while thumbing it’s nose and laughing up it’s sleeve. Then there is the demonstrated complete disregard for ICAO Annex 13 and the allegations of breaches of the Transport Safety Acts to be accounted for, either proven of eliminated..”

And is there hard evidence that these govt agencies (in particular the ATSB) have been obfuscating their responsibilities to ICAO? Well I think so & for quite a while too – #P2:

“..Given the observations by Ben & #P11, one now wonders if these deficiencies were ever truly addressed and if the obfuscating of ICAO is a common theme that has been practiced for more than a decade. As #P9 mentioned one only need look at the over 1600 notified differences to ICAO SARPs to see that the Australian aviation safety authorities are taking the Mickey Bliss out of ICAO…”

 

Ziggy:

..The Senate have listened and worked so hard to make change, but alas blocked by the media, corporations with cash and finally the Oz Gov with regard to this important historical event of NGA.

Not to be reported to the ICAO. Despite the accident being the first of its kind, in the world.

Further historical searches will find many more questionable investigations I’m sure...

...Another productive and genuine concerned conversation on Friday 13/02 was with Ms Nancy Graham. A lady of extreme calm and the approach of fair and just Aviation Safety. Before and after an aviation accident.

An article sparked a dwindling flame within as I read an article regarding her advocacy for a speedy settlement for the families of the souls on board the recent air tragedies.

We spoke for quite a while.

What astonished both her and I was the fact that Ms Graham who is the a director of Air Navigation Safety for the ICAO was not aware of, or even heard of NGA. A complete hull loss. Absolute possibility of fatalities. But we lived, with a voice. As I heard “oh my” a few times, I could hear the clicking of a key board. Her word along the lines of, “Quite a bit of controversy surrounding this accident. A Senate Inquiry, 2009, all the reports, Oh my. I need to do some reading. I can not believe I have not heard of this. I can not believe I am speaking with a survivor of an internationals plane accident. We could learn so very much.”...

[*]

And finally..

[*]5
Sam Jackson
Posted February 18, 2015 at 3:37 pm | Permalink

I just find the similarities and parallels between the two ‘missing’ reports intriguing. We know that the ATSB system for reporting is spot on, the TSBC tell us so. Whoever is ultimately responsible for the despatch of those reports clearly has a bullet proof system and clearly uses it, as every other report transmission has been made in a timely, proper manner; which begs the question. How did these two heavily criticised, highly suspect reports slip through the robust ATSB system net. It’s probably just a coincidence that the same crew managed and edited both final reports, funny how things like that just happen. Must be one of them there ‘aberrations’. Some wretched clerical type will get moved, an apology issued and all will be bright and rosy, once again in the DoIT garden. Terrific.

[*][*]

Need I say more, except to state if M&M & co think they will again be able to word weasel (corporate plans etc) & white wash this disgusting state of affairs with the apparently ICAO compliant Aviation SSP (Annex 19), think again....MTF P2     

[Kharon]

Cringe-worthy.

The really disgraceful part of all this – is the clearly stated, unequivocally demonstrated intention to change nothing, except provide less.  The ATSB under Dolan have failed in every department to provide the past levels of service which made Australia a very real part of international aviation accident investigation and reporting.  

Now I just cringe whenever the service is mentioned; even when a domestic report is eventually published, just in case a real TSB agency read it and think; well – if this is an example of the Dolan ‘modern’ thinking, the much bruited “Beyond all Reason” methodology it can be filed under R for rubbish, C for Crap or G for garbage – file it anywhere, but get it off my desk.  There is now a long list of ‘reports’ which have been treated in a similar manner.

We have but two men to thank for this national disgrace; whoever wrote the latest ‘corporate plan’ and he who signed it.  Disgusting, despicable, deceitful and fully sanctioned, this despite Senate, industry and peer group condemnation.

Selah.

What art thou that usurp'st this time of night, 
Together with that fair and warlike form
In which the majesty of buried Denmark Did sometimes march? by heaven I charge thee, speak!

[Peetwo]

More Beaker Bullocks..

Continuing from off the Senate Estimates thread it would seem we have yet another ATSBeaker aberration that was nicely intercepted by Farmer Joe... :

As for your first post Farmer Joe...


"..But in all the probity questioning from AsA's special attendance 2 weeks ago, NX asked about a LAHSO incident at Melbourne Airport in early July.

Mr Hood replied that it was a serious incident and ATSB was investigating.

Yet a perusal of the ATSB list of investigations on their website shows no such incident.

Didn't this website (?P2) a while ago question whether ATSB was really investigating all incidents submitted by AsA?.."

 ..I think we should take that observation - & it's obvious implications - to the SMH thread under my last post relevant to this query of yours.

To begin - for your benefit FJ - here is an extract from the last ASA special attendance hearing on that 5th July LAHSO incident: 

Senator XENOPHON: I want to take a couple of minutes because this is a safety issue I am really worried about and I think it falls directly within your bailiwick.

CHAIR: Keep going. You have two more minutes. Quick.

Senator XENOPHON: LAHSO, the land and hold short operations, is not allowed in the US but is allowed at Melbourne airport because you have capacity constraints there. Is that right?

Mr Harfield : LAHSO would be used whether there were capacity constraints or not. It is a runway configuration mode, an operation mode—

Senator XENOPHON: I have only got a minute. I have had previous correspondence with Airservices and corrections were made by Ms Staib on 2 July about clarification. There were some inaccuracies given in evidence—Mr Hood, I am not having a go at you, but they had to be clarified. Is that right?

Mr Hood : That is correct.

Senator XENOPHON: Mr Hood, are you aware of what happened at Melbourne airport around 6.15pm on Sunday, 5 July?

Mr Hood : Yes, I am. There was a double go-around on runway 2-7 and 3-4.

Senator XENOPHON: It was a close call, wasn't it?

Mr Hood : It was a double go-around, and the ATSB are investigating that—

Senator XENOPHON: It is pretty serious incident.

Mr Hood : It is a serious incident.

CHAIR: What was the separation?

Mr Hood : Visual separation—and that is in that circumstance when you have a double go-around both in sight of the tower. Both aircraft were alerted to the position of the other.

Senator XENOPHON: So, three days after I get a letter clarifying some issues on LAHSOs, we have a very close call.

Mr Hood : We have a double go-around.

Senator XENOPHON: Double go-arounds are pretty bad, aren't they?

Mr Hood : Certainly. Not something I like to see.

Senator XENOPHON: How close were the two aircraft?

Mr Hood : I would have to take that on notice. I have the—

Senator XENOPHON: How many seconds away were they away from a collision in terms of the separation?

Mr Hood : I am not sure they were headed towards a collision at all, but the ATSB will verify the facts

Okay next FJ asked...

"..Didn't this website (?P2) a while ago question whether ATSB was really investigating all incidents submitted by AsA?.."

Yes I did and not only here but on the UP more than 2 years ago - ASA does it again - 2011 OOL near miss investigation released :

..Gentle_flyer, Jack and co I suggest that you crosscheck for any known BOS/LOSA occurrences that have been reported by responsible controllers to the ATSB but not investigated in the weekly summary page, see here: Aviation weekly summaries

Presumably controllers would have kept a record of the date etc when they submitted the AAIN so you should be able to narrow down the search.

If after conducting such a search there is still no record showing of the controller's incident report...well then "Houston we have a problem"!

 
Alright so to the apparently (Hoody & NX) officially reported (ATSB) 'serious incident', that FJ can't seem to find??

First here is a link for the relevant occurrence date page of the bureau website - Page2 - hmm...nope no record.

Okay next let's search the 'ATSB National Aviation Occurrence Database', where you'll see there is a number of ways to narrow down your search (categories/dates/etc). However I'll just pick Melbourne airport for two months from first of June 2015 - see here. This gives me four entries, none of which matches our date, nor are any of them by definition 'serious incidents' and therefore required to be investigated. 

Thereafter I tried several other search combinations just to be sure, but unless I'm severely stuffing it up or dyslexic, I don't believe this 'serious incident' (by anyone's definition - including Beaker's) has been officially recorded or being investigated by the ATSB - again Houston, Skidmore, Boyd, Truss & Co we have a major problem...tick..tick..tick



MTF...P2       

[Peetwo]

More Beaker Bullocks MKII - Courtesy Senate Estimates - ATSB AQON

From Senate Estimates thread:

...To get a feel for some of the spin & bullshit within, here is a typical 'up yours' from our resident MH370 Super Sleuth Muppet, to Nx & co (note when the REPCON was last updated):

Question no.: 102


Program: n/a

Division/Agency: Australian Transport Safety Bureau

Topic: Breakdown in air traffic control coordination

Proof Hansard Page: 21 (28 May 2015)

Senator Xenophon, Nick asked:

…

Senator XENOPHON: No. I am not trying to do circle work. This is important. Will the ATSB at least look at the publicly available information on WebTrak out of the two airports for that three-hour period to see whether there was a loss of separation assurance?

Mr Dolan: We thought it was more effective to ask Airservices to take a look at the tapes and to provide us with their view as to whether there had been a loss of separation assurance.

Senator WILLIAMS: How long would it take you to look at what Senator Xenophon is requesting? How long would it take you to look at that information? A couple of hours?

Mr Dolan: Possibly. It would need to be done by someone with air traffic control experience so that they could understand it, and we have a range of priorities that we have got our limited air traffic control expertise focused on. This is a matter of the management of limited resources.

Senator XENOPHON: Could you please, Chief Commissioner, take on notice whether the ATSB will be taking this matter any further, at the very least, to look at the WebTrak for that three-hour period out of the Essendon and Melbourne airports, and also whether it would look at radar tapes? Also, it appears, from what has been put to me, that there is a fundamental issue that Airservices did not give you the full story initially.

Mr Dolan: In terms of not being informed of a three-hour period, that is true.

Senator XENOPHON: Does that not worry you, Mr Dolan?

Mr Godley: Could I just clarify something, Senator? We did have one of our air traffic control investigators review the whole three hours. What happened was that after the repcon we got back to Airservices. They reviewed the tapes and said there was no loss of separation or loss of separation assurance. Our ATC investigator then reviewed the three hours. She determined that there was a potential loss of separation between two aircraft. But, due to the limitations of WebTrak, she could not be sure.

…

Answer:

The ATSB does not intend taking any further action on this matter, noting that an ATSB air traffic control specialist did review the WebTrak information for the entire period following receipt of the REPCON and that the ATSB is satisfied with the response provided by both Airservices Australia and CASA to the REPCON report (see http://www.atsb.gov.au/repcon/2013/ar201300090.aspx).

REPCON

Mode

Aviation
Reference No.
AR201300090
Date reported
18 November 2013

Concern title
Possible loss of separation due to a breakdown of coordination

Concern summary
The concern related to the potential of a loss of separation or loss of separation assurance as a result of a breakdown of coordination between Essendon tower and Melbourne tower.

Industry / Operation affected
Aviation: Airspace management
Concern subject type
Aviation: Air Traffic Control

Reporter's concern
The reporter expressed a concern that a breakdown in communication, which occurred in November between Essendon Tower and Melbourne Tower, may have resulted in a loss of separation assurance or potentially a loss of separation between aircraft operating at Melbourne and Essendon.

Operator's response (Operator 1)

Airservices Australia (Airservices) appreciates the opportunity to respond to the reported concern regarding a breakdown in communication between Essendon and Melbourne.
Airservices confirms that the breakdown of communication was reported via Airservices Corporate Integrated Reporting and Risk Information System (CIRRIS).

The reported occurrence involved Melbourne Terminal Area Control who received coordination from Essendon Tower advising that they could not separate overshoots with Melbourne traffic due to the cloud base. The breakdown of communication occurred as the Melbourne Terminal Area Control passed the information to the Melbourne Approach Controller but failed to receive acknowledgement of the coordination resulting in the Approach Controller being unaware of the need to identify Essendon arrivals to Melbourne Tower.

A preliminary investigation confirmed that the documented procedure was not correctly followed in that the controller concerned failed to confirm acknowledgement of the coordination.

The investigation determined that no systemic issues existed and the potential safety impact that may have resulted from the breakdown of coordination was understood by the controller. Nonetheless, the Check and Standardisation Supervisors of the involved ATC group have been tasked with reviewing the coordination requirements with the aim of identifying potential opportunities to minimise the likelihood of a similar breakdown of communication reoccurring.

In the interim a temporary console display has been created to highlight separation responsibility for Essendon traffic arriving from terminal control unit (TCU) airspace.
With reference to the reporter's concern that the occurrence may have resulted in a loss of separation (LOS) or a loss of separation assurance (LOSA), Airservices can confirm that there was no LOS or LOSA occurrences during the time of the breakdown of communication.

Regulator's response (Regulator 1)

We note that there was no loss of separation and CASA does not intend to take any direct safety action with regard to this matter; however CASA will use this information to complement other information that informs us of Airservices Australia safety risk profile.
 



Last update 24 March 2014

Hmm...wonder what variety of wet lettuce the Senate Committee will choose to slap Dolan with this time...FCOL  

Of interest for MH370 followers - if for no other reason but the condescending, arrogant tone of the answers - is this AQON to the Senator Rice written QONs:

 

MTF...P2

[Kharon]

Why is it that we get Beaker wittering and obfuscating about serious issues when the worlds best are making serious moves to address the problems?  

A must read from Reuters – HERE –

The NTSB have got the ball rolling – HERE – and in their consummately professional way make the events easy to follow –- HERE.

How nice it would be if our crippled ATSB could follow the NTSB lead instead of running about in ever diminishing circles.  

Toot too

[Peetwo]

Why is it that we get Beaker wittering and obfuscating about serious issues when the worlds best are making serious moves to address the problems?  

A must read from Reuters – HERE –

The NTSB have got the ball rolling – HERE – and in their consummately professional way make the events easy to follow –- HERE.

How nice it would be if our crippled ATSB could follow the NTSB lead instead of running about in ever diminishing circles.  

Toot too

The Bearded, Buffoon Beaker's Bottom line? - FY2014-15

Strangely, with little to no fanfare, our resident bean-counting, MH370 super sleuth Muppet has released the ATsB Annual Report 2014-15

Perhaps it is because BBB knows that the IOS could not but help taking the Mickey Bliss & calling BOLLOCKS on his yearly review..

Chief Commissioner’s review 2014–15

This was the ATSB’s sixth year as a fully independent body within the Infrastructure and Regional Development portfolio. In addition to the continuing search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, 2014–15 saw the completion of a range of significant investigations and some significant governance changes for the ATSB.

In July 2013, I requested the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) to conduct an independent objective review of our safety investigation methodologies and processes. I asked that they benchmark Canadian methodologies with ours and compare both with international standards. The TSB looked, in particular, at three of our substantial investigations including the ditching of a Pel-Air Westwind jet off Norfolk Island in 2009 (AO-2009-072). This investigation had been strongly criticised in some quarters and was the subject of a report by the Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Committee.

The TSB report, released in December 2014, found that the ATSB’s investigation methodology and analysis tools represent best practice, and have been shown to produce very good results.

At the same time, the report highlighted room for improvement, particularly in relation to the way our processes were applied to the Pel-Air ditching investigation. - Do you reckon??

In response to the TSB review, the ATSB decided to reopen the investigation into the Pel‑Air accident. A completely new team was appointed to review the original investigation and associated report in light of any fresh evidence, relevant points from the TSB review and other recent aviation reviews. The ATSB expects to complete the reopened investigation in the first quarter of 2016. - What about transparency? UFB!


Oh well at least we can be assured the Senators will be watching & waiting on the progress of the report..

After carefully considering the other findings and recommendations of the TSB report, the ATSB accepted all of them. We have worked our way methodically and carefully through implementation of the recommendations of the TSB review, resulting in improvements to the future work of the ATSB. Being able to compare our approaches and learn from our respected colleagues in Canada has been a valued opportunity. - Where's the proof? Who in their right mind would trust this Muppet -

In November 2013, in keeping with a pre-election commitment, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development, the Hon Warren Truss MP, commissioned a review of Australia’s aviation safety regulation system. This was to see how our safety regulation system is placed to deal with this economically important industry. Following completion of the report the ATSB contributed to the Government’s response.

On 3 December 2014, the Deputy Prime Minister made a statement in Parliament confirming that the Government fully supports the vital role of the ATSB. To give effect to a pre-election commitment, he undertook to appoint an additional Commissioner with aviation experience and to issue a new Statement of Expectations.

In accordance with the Deputy Prime Minister’s announcement, Mr Chris Manning was appointed as a Commissioner with effect from 9 March 2015. Chris has brought a wealth of experience in aviation as an expert pilot and prominent aviation manager, and from his arrival has made a very valuable contribution to our work.

The Deputy Prime Minister issued a revised Statement of Expectations on 19 April 2015. The statement largely confirmed our existing focus and direction, but also required us to implement the relevant parts of the Government’s response to the Aviation Safety Review Report and the agreed recommendations of the TSB review. The ATSB’s response to the Statement of Expectations is set out in our Corporate Plan. - Yeah but where exactly? Have a look here - 'Just culture' & incident reporting probity?. Until such time as the potential for embuggerance from a historically sociopathic, big "R"egulator then any SOI buried in the corporate plan is just more spin & BOLLOCKS from BBB.
 
The issuing of a Corporate Plan was part of our implementation of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 (PGPA Act). To meet the requirements of the new PGPA Act, we have implemented more comprehensive business planning and risk management processes. These are all being managed consistently with our safety priorities, which have been at the centre of our SafetyWatch communication and safety awareness direction for the last three years.

The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370
The search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in the Southern Indian Ocean has been a major commitment during the whole year. It has involved complex and challengingactivities including:

• conducting ground-breaking technical analysis to determine the appropriate search area
  
• determining the processes and standards necessary to undertake an unprecedented underwater search
  
• selecting highly capable contractors with the expertise and equipment to conduct the search
  
• continuing project and financial management
  
• dealing with the incredible level of interest and enquiry from all over the world.
  
  

We have worked with our Minister and our Malaysian and Chinese counterparts to keep them informed of the search progress and enable joint decisions to be made when required...

..Resource constraints
As reported last year, our resource situation led us to reduce our workforce by approximately 12 per cent. We have experienced further budgetary restraint this year despite the additional resources provided to undertake the search for MH370. Budget restraints have had a significant effect on our responsiveness and flexibility and continues to affect our capacity to conduct investigations. Our performance statistics for the year show this very clearly, particularly in regard to the timeliness of our investigations. This year, I have incorporated a table in our performance reporting which shows our longitudinal results over the past three years.

Safety priorities
Through our SafetyWatch initiative we maintain a continuing focus on nine safety priorities:

• flying with reduced visual cues
  
• general aviation pilots
  
• handling the approach to land
  
• data input errors
  
• safety around non-controlled aerodromes
  
• under-reporting of occurrences
  
• safe work on rail
  
• marine work practices
  
• maritime pilotage.
  
  

Outlook for 2015–16
Resources continue to be constrained. It is a simple fact that with fewer resources we can do fewer investigations, or we must constrain the scope of some of the investigations we do undertake. More than ever, we need to choose those accidents or incidents that have the greatest potential to yield the greatest safety benefit. There remains a substantial risk we will miss an important issue. To minimise this risk, we are focussing strongly on analysis of our data and our investigation findings to identify emerging trends. Our short investigations also play an important role in enabling us to take a closer look at accidents and serious incidents which have the potential for more detailed systemic investigation.

The importance of the work has not diminished and I am pleased that the Government has reaffirmed the value of our work.

Once again I would like to acknowledge the first class work of our investigators and other staff, and to thank them for their continued commitment to the ATSB. I am also grateful for the continuing attention, support and wise counsel of my fellow Commissioners.

Martin Dolan
Chief Commissioner/CEO

  
What a load of BOLLOCKS!


MTF?...Yep! P2

[P7_TOM]

Not Bollocks P2 – it’s SMH.

SMH 1 – In response to the TSB review, the ATSB decided to reopen the investigation into the Pel Air accident

Pony Pooh - The Minister forced to investigation to be re-opened.  If the abominable Uriah Heep had his way, the report would be in the crapper, right beside the pilots career.

SMH 2 - "A completely new team was appointed to review the original investigation and associated report in light of any fresh evidence, relevant points from the TSB review and other recent aviation reviews.  

Bollocks – Sangston is as deep (up to his nuts) in the repeat performance.  Reports from “DIP” point to a highly subjective line being taken along with much care to avoid embarrassing anyone – except the crew and any Senator who can be clipped as collateral damage; except, DF&NX have the wood on them – they will have the right answers; Bloody Fairy tale.

SMH 3 - To give effect to a pre-election commitment, he undertook to appoint an additional Commissioner with aviation experience and to issue a new Statement of Expectations.

This would be the Invisible Manning; perfect candidate, speak no evil, see no evil, hear no evil. No doubt they’ll help him remember their carefully prepared 'great white-wash' speech.  Always handy to have a spare tyre – even if you never use it.  A new talking head - hell, they could get GT in, for as lot less cash; now there's a saving.  WOFTAM and a disappointment.

SMH 4 - "This year, I have incorporated a table in our performance reporting which shows our longitudinal results over the past three years.

WTF does that UFB sentence mean.  Does it mean not to expect meaningfull results from Mildura, Moranbah, Sydney and Newcastle events within two years; not to mention those reports now aged over three.  MH 370 was separately funded; Folley is no great loss to the real investigators – so perhaps Heep could achieve a vertical line from his horizontal longitude and get the meagre amount of work he condescends to allow doing; to get done in a timely, professional manner.  Hang in there Joe, keep swinging.

SMH 5 – “[There] remains a substantial risk we will miss an important issue.

Only one – you bearded (sometimes) bloody buffoon (always); you have failed to mention nearly every significant finding in the last 20 odd reports; a short technical analysis followed by CASA dictated blame schedule.  Who over the age of three is going to believe this crap? 

SMH 6 – “Once again I would like to acknowledge the first class work of our investigators and other staff, and to thank them for their continued commitment to the ATSB.

I for one would love to publish the “staff” comments on "the way things are at ATSB".  We won’t; but, suffice to say if some of the comments made in the pub were ever heard at Senate level, the roof falling in would be the least of the abominable Beakers problems.

Uriah the Pariah.  Please Minuscule do something about this creature from the bureaucratic swamps, before someone gets hurt as a direct result of a failed investigation – another one.

[Gobbledock]

So the king of the abacus is yet again whining about there being not enough of the green in his bucket of money. What would happen if that was an airline stating they did not have the resources by way of financially and by way of manpower to operate efficiently? CAsA would issue a NCN and probably threaten a Friday afternoon fax. Now we have Team beaker claiming that they are under resourced so wouldn't that mean they too are not acting to their full safety capacity? Of course they aren't, and that is dangerous . But of course no NCN for them. Bunch of Assholes

[Peetwo]

The Twitter guy must have missed the MEMO -   

Almost missed this one myself but just prior to the bureau boys-n-gals knocking off for Xmas a very important (IMO) research report was released by Dr Godfrey's crew: Aviation safety—a 10-year snap shot - ATSB research report AR-2015-082.

Here is a fairly disturbing admission from the summary off the 'Newsroom' webpage:

General aviation accidents remains too high

General aviation experienced 149 accidents in 2014 (the highest in 10 years), 11 of which were fatal (the lowest in 10 years) and another 15 resulted in serious injuries. These accidents led to 17 fatalities and 20 serious injuries. General aviation aircraft were involved in 118 serious incidents in 2014. In 2013 – the last year with available activity data – the general aviation accident rate per departure was almost five times that of commercial air transport. The year 2013 saw a significant decrease in the accident rate compared with the previous 6 years. However, the fatal accident rate was consistent with the 10-year average. Aerial agriculture, followed by private and sport aviation had the highest general aviation accidents rates, while flying training had the lowest. 

The part in red bold is even more disturbing when you consider some of the stats in this post - HERE - & in the BITRE stats - HERE - as it becomes quite obvious that the GA industry continues to be in serious decline.


MTF...P2  

  

[Kharon]

ATSB – How to cook a book.

You must, as a thinking person, question the usefulness of the ATSB.  Their production of ‘useful’ statistics reflects the disingenuous nature of their approach.  GA accidents have increased – OK – tell us why? While you're at it, lets do the figures and compare reduced ‘activity’ to accident ratio; and, once again, explain why this real accounting is manipulated.  Then explain the real rise.  Then provide real solutions.  Then produce real recommendations.  Then drive those recommendations home, make them stick. Then produce the changes and education to go with change.  This is, after all said and done, what the Australian public pay for.

We could do this for you, or just tell you; but then it would cost the taxpayer another small fortune for ATSB to refute the truth and re-jig the damn lies, provided as statistics to shore up the fiction.  

There is little point to completing, yet alone presenting this last list of meaningless numbers.  The artificially reduced ‘scope’ of what may and what may not be investigated, the careful categorisation of ‘accidents’ to shape the numerical outcome and the claimed ‘resources’ limitations, all serve to bias any attempt at providing a ‘genuine’ picture for consideration.

There are accident and incidents to which a proportion of the causal chain may be sheeted home to the regulator; there are A&I which can be attributed to the same killers which have been around since the Wright brothers; there are several other areas which, under proper scrutiny would reveal alarming, very real, emerging trends.  None of this information has been ‘honestly’ provided to industry or the public.  The lack of ATSB ‘pro-active’ engagement in safety management is an obscene, risible state of affairs for a body which is charged with doing exactly that to be in.  

Selective data, subjective reporting, subversion of reports to assist with the ‘politics’ of an incident all on public display and yet ATSB persist with the fallacy that they are an independent, fearless champion of air safety.

Bollocks – study any report provided by ATSB over the past six years; or, take a long hard look at the Pel-Air incident.  Same crowd in control of ATSB, same piffling, lame, half baked reports coming through; same-same everything – despite political, industry, public censure and ministerial directive.  Who, I wonder, do these people believe they are?

Why bother to produce ‘figures’ no one cares about or reports which disgrace Australia and insult the intelligence of the aviation community.  Ask instead what’s changed since that censure?  The answer, writ large, is SFA, all fully government supported and funded by Australians.  Stellar.

Selah.