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Hooded Canary's mob to topcover latest YSSY LOSA occurrence - 

By Ironsider, via the Oz:

Close call at Sydney airport sparks inquiry




A close call involving two Qantas aircraft has prompted an investigation into air traffic control at Sydney airport. Picture: AAP

• ROBYN IRONSIDE
  AVIATION WRITER
  @ironsider
  [img=0x0]https://i1.wp.com/pixel.tcog.cp1.news.com.au/track/component/author/6e7c15929181150836944cea1b4d0979/?esi=true&t_product=the-australian&t_template=s3/austemp-article_common/broadsheet/components/article-author/widget&td_bio=false&td_location=none[/img]
  
  
• 3:22PM AUGUST 9, 2019
  
  
• 26 COMMENTS
  

Air traffic controllers at Sydney Airport will be questioned over a close call involving two Qantas aircraft on Monday.


The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has launched an investigation into the incident, in which an A330 taking off from the airport received a traffic avoidance collision alert, as a B737 approaching the runway turned across its departure path.
An incident summary by the ATSB said the B737 arriving from Brisbane was issued with a go-around instruction from Air Traffic Control due to the A330 taking off on a flight to Melbourne.

But the turn instruction conflicted with the A330’s departure track, and the pilots received the collision alert.

The Australian understands the B737 was in the A330’s line of sight and there was never any danger to passengers or crew.

The ATSB is treating the matter as a “loss of separation” incident, because the safe minimum distance between aircraft was breached.

A Qantas spokesman said “our crew followed air traffic control directions at all times”.

“We will assist the ATSB with its investigation,” he said.

As well as air traffic controllers, investigators will interview the flight crews, and review recorded surveillance and flight data.

A final report is expected by mid-2020.

The incident followed a report by Airservices Australia showing a spike in loss of separation occurrences at Sydney Airport in the last year, which prompted a workplace wellbeing assessment.

& via the Oz:

Sydney air traffic safety lapses ‘spike’



The control tower at Sydney Airport. Picture: AAP

• ROBYN IRONSIDE
  AVIATION WRITER
  @ironsider
  [img=0x0]https://i1.wp.com/pixel.tcog.cp1.news.com.au/track/component/author/6e7c15929181150836944cea1b4d0979/?esi=true&t_product=the-australian&t_template=s3/austemp-article_common/broadsheet/components/article-author/widget&td_bio=false&td_bylinetitle=Aviation%2520Writer&td_location=none[/img]
  
  
• 12:00AM AUGUST 7, 2019
  
  
• 3 COMMENTS
  

Airservices Australia did a workplace wellbeing assessment of air traffic controllers after a worrying increase in safety lapses at Sydney airport, a report reveals.

The operational safety and performance report, released by Airservices, showed a “spike in loss of separation occurrences ­attributed to air traffic control (ATC)” in 2018-19, primarily driven by one unit, Sydney. The Sydney ATC tower had 13 more close calls in 2018-19 than the previous year. In response to the “increasing trend”, a workplace wellbeing assessment was conducted.

As reported by The Australian on February 18, that assessment found widespread low morale among air traffic controllers, with 93 per cent saying they had ­experienced bullying, harassment and/or discrimination.

Airservices denied a “toxic workplace culture” had posed a threat to passenger safety. Responding to a report commissioned by the air traffic controllers union, Civil Air, a statement from Airservices said it “unequivocally rejected the suggestion its workplace culture was negatively affecting safety”.


“Airservices’ safety performance is demonstrably among the best in the world and always improving. There is no factual basis for these false and alarmist claims,” Airservices said.

The Civil Air report, written by former federal court judge ­Anthony North QC, analysed the findings of the workplace wellbeing assessment.

It described the workplace culture within Airservices as “so pervaded by bullying and sexual harassment it poses a possible threat to the safety of air travellers”. “Short of permanent or temporary absence, employees so affected are likely to be distracted at work and lack motivation and commitment,” the report says. “Although present at work, they cannot engage ­actively in their work tasks.”

Civil Air national secretary Peter McGuane said the issues were not confined to the Sydney air traffic control tower, but were “widespread across the industry”.

“I think there’s a variety of reasons (for the bullying and harassment),” Mr McGuane said. “Obviously it’s a heavily male-dominated industry and there’s a culture that’s developed over a period of time, and management has not taken practical steps to change that.”

He said the report was not intended to embarrass Airservices, but rather trigger action.

Airservices said it engaged cultural change consultant Elizabeth Broderick to “conduct a broad and independent review of Airservices’ workforce culture”.

Airservices said the findings would be shared and “any recommendations adopted to ensure that Airservices offers a safe, diverse and inclusive workplace for all of our employees”.

That assessment exposed high levels of low morale among air traffic controllers, with 93 per cent revealing they had experienced bullying, harassment and/or discrimination.

As a result, Airservices has commissioned a workplace culture consultant Elizabeth Broderick to undertake an in-depth review of the agency’s organisational culture.

The review is expected to take eight months, and result in a range of recommendations on how the workplace culture can be improved.

Comments of interest:

Rob03

4 HOURS AGO

On 28 April 2018 QF582 was halfway down the runway when it stopped so hard my eyeballs nearly popped out. Right outside my window I could see the wide eyes of the crew of another Qantas 737, the Coonawarra, also on the runway. One of them is pointing at our winglet. Haven't heard a peep about it since.

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email

20 HOURS AGO

Final report by mid 20-20? These planes and air traffic controllers have every word, flight and radar details recorded. It would take a few day’s investigation to determine the root cause of this mix up. A collision between these 2 planes on or near a runway, let alone a populated area or airport would have been Australia’s worst ever aviation disaster. A lot of time and thousands of planes will pass between now and mid 20-20. Sort it out now because these things don’t happen unless there is a problem with procedures.

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Richard

22 HOURS AGO
(Edited)

The Australian understands the B737 was in the A330’s line of sight and there was never any danger to passengers or crew. The ATSB is treating the matter as a “loss of separation” incident, because the safe minimum distance between aircraft was breached.

If safe minimum distance was breached, then by definition there was danger to the aircraft. You can’t have it both ways. And if you’re relying on particulars of the situation, they may not exist next time, so the incident doesn’t get the attention it deserves. The recipe for not learning. How many 737 Max 8 near misses were there before the two fatal accidents? More than zero, I understand.

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Ian

23 HOURS AGO

A year to do a report?

These are potentially dangerous incidents. Give them a month, max.

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Edward

1 DAY AGO

Final report due mid 2020. By then we will have forgotten all about it, and our good public servants will once again pat themselves on the back.

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Adam

1 DAY AGO
(Edited)

Sydney is a sub-standard facility. Everybody in the industry knows it. Departures off 34R are fail dangerous when there is a go-round or somebody busts an altitude arriving from the north or east. Everybody knows that as well. The inquiry already knows the answer, it just cant admit the solution.

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Adam

22 HOURS AGO

It’s bad enough just having to taxi out to 34R; it feels like you’re driving to Melbourne.

MTF...P2