Latest news with #AngusMitchell
ABC News
2 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Safety bureau decides not to investigate light plane crash near Balranald
A fatal light plane crash in south-west New South Wales last week will not be investigated because the plane was a recreational aircraft. A 53-year-old Hatfield man died when the Aeroprakt Foxbat recreational plane he was flying crashed on D-Block Road north of Balranald, about 130 kilometres west of Hay. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) said the crash would not be investigated as the aircraft sat outside its investigation guidelines. The guidelines state the ATSB does not investigate accidents and incidents involving recreational, ultralight and sports aviation aircraft that are registered with self-administrating bodies unless there is a wider safety need. It is a set of rules that concerns aviation experts. The ATSB said it had capacity to investigate 70 aviation, maritime and rail incidents each year, but was notified of around 8,000 incidents annually. It said that meant each year, multiple fatal accidents were not investigated. ATSB chief commissioner Angus Mitchell said incidents with the "greatest public benefit" were prioritised. "We do certainly prioritise fee-paying passengers in large aircraft, that's top of our list," Mr Mitchell said. "Unfortunately, we need to put what is a finite resource into very definable areas, and we do prioritise, as I said … greater public good which tends to sit more in that passenger-carrying commercial operations." "We're very transparent around where we do put those resources and I know that doesn't help the family and the friends of those involved in accidents that fall outside of what we investigate. "For that, I'm very sorry." ATSB data showed last year 27 people died in 20 light aircraft crashes in Australia and 14 of those fatal crashes were investigated. So far in 2025, 16 people have died in 12 fatal aviation accidents. Of the 12, the safety bureau was investigating five and assisting in a sixth. Mr Mitchell said the self-administration body Recreational Aviation Australia (RAAus) could decide whether an independent investigation into incidents such as last week's fatal crash was required. RAAus is a private non-for-profit organisation that administers pilots, maintainers and aircraft. However, RAAus chairman Michael Monck said his organisation did not have the capability or the legal protection to conduct investigations into accidents. Rather, the organisation could assist the ATSB with investigations. Mr Monck said the RAAus had been calling for nearly 10 years for all fatal accidents to be investigated by the ATSB. "It's sad that the ATSB, and by proxy the government, has made that decision and said their life is not worth investigating. "Saying that, there's guidelines which dictate which accidents get investigated and which ones don't. I think it's a little bit of a cop out. "Our government and the ATSB make the guidelines, and they surely have power to change those guidelines … It's incredibly important to understand what causes accidents in [aviation] because of the [flow-on] effects." In a statement, federal minister for infrastructure and transport Catherine King said "every aviation death is heartbreaking" and that the ATSB prioritised its resources for investigations that addressed safety lessons for the greatest public benefit. NSW Police's investigation into the Balranald crash is ongoing, and a report will be made for the coroner. In Australia, there are two bodies that register pilots and aircraft — the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) for general/commercial aircraft and pilots, and RAAus for recreational planes and flyers. Swan Hill chief flying instructor and former RAAus board member Alan Middleton said historically, RAAus required lower medical standards to fly compared to CASA. Mr Middleton said the two systems were unnecessary and no longer justified and called on CASA to regain control of pilot and aircraft registration. "CASA needs to take back under their umbrella all aspects of aviation that involve aircraft and pilots being licensed," Mr Middleton said. "[Aircraft and pilots] will then fly in the CASA system … in what would be the public road system for our airways across Australia." Mr Middleton believed the reform would bring more clarity to all aircraft incidents. "If the aircraft was registered under CASA and if the pilot was licensed under CASA, the ATSB would already, alongside CASA, have a jurisdiction and an interest," Mr Middleton said. "The ATSB could not simply say, 'Oh, we don't investigate recreational aircraft.' "That is a far more accountable position."
7NEWS
21-07-2025
- General
- 7NEWS
Two killed in Queensland plane crash were experienced pilots, airline confirms
A pilot and a flight examiner have died i n a light aircraft crash in southeast Queensland. Emergency services were called to Oakey Cooyar Rd in Kelvinhaugh near Oakey, west of Brisbane, just after 3pm on Sunday when a light aircraft operated by Aero Logistics crashed into a paddock. Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today The Reims Cessna F406 twin turboprop came down in a grassy field and burst into flames on impact, creating a 'large fireball', according to Queensland Police. Aero Logistics confirmed on Monday the two people killed were one of its company pilots and an external flight examiner. 'This is a terrible tragedy for the two people onboard the aircraft and their families, friends and workmates,' CEO Ben Smee said in a statement. 'They were experienced pilots and well-respected by everyone at Aero Logistics. 'This is a devastating loss for everyone who knew them.' The flight is understood to have been part of a standard proficiency check, a routine assessment of a pilot's ability to handle the aircraft using only cockpit instruments, without visual reference to the horizon. The check needs to be completed every 12 months by instrument rated pilots. The aircraft took off at about 2.30pm from Warwick. 'Now, exactly what's occurred here is still not entirely clear to us, but we do know that in most likelihood it was conducting ILS, which is instrument landing system approaches into Oakey,' said Angus Mitchell, chief commissioner of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB). 'Something has obviously quite tragically gone wrong. 'We have some witness statements and CCTV footage to help us piece this together. 'But we'll also need to spend some time on the site today and over the next two or three days to understand what it can tell us. 'Equally, we'll need to look at the history of the aircraft itself and its maintenance records, those on board, training qualifications.' 'There is a lot of evidence to pull together, which will take us a number of days before we can start piecing together the sequence of events.' Police say the aircraft was manufactured in France around 1990, making it about 35 years old. It has been in Australia for about 13 years. Authorities confirmed the ATSB previously investigated the same aircraft in 2014 over an issue with its oxygen system. However, police said this is 'unlikely to be associated with what occurred yesterday' and investigations are currently focused on processing the crash site and gathering relevant evidence. 'We know that the flight yesterday was at around 6000 feet at its peak, so that's unlikely to have played any role here. ' 7NEWS understood the pilot made an emergency call shortly before the crash. Police said the two occupants died on impact. 'We do know that the impact is quite contained, which suggests a fairly steep rate of descent into the ground.' Acting Senior Sergeant Matt Forbes told reporters the plane caught fire as it hit the ground. The ATSB launched an investigation and is transporting the wreckage to its Canberra facilities for detailed analysis. Aero Logistics has suspended all flight operations until further notice and is co-operating fully with the ATSB and other authorities. 'Safety is our first and most important priority,' Smee said. 'The cause of the accident will be thoroughly investigated for the sake of the families and the ongoing safety of our fleet.' The company has offered support services to the families of the victims and made counselling available to its staff. Police said this crash marks the 11th aviation accident in Australia this year, which is about the national average but acknowledged it 'doesn't make it any easier for those who've lost loved ones'. 'Every accident and incident that we investigate is different and we understand the implications to not only those that have had loved ones that are directly involved with the broader community,' Mitchell said. 'So we are very focused on searching for recommendations that can lead to a safer environment for aviation and indeed for marine and rail that we investigate also.' Anyone who witnessed the crash or captured footage of the aircraft during its flight or in the aftermath is urged to contact the ATSB.
The Guardian
16-07-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Strong winds blamed for 427 drones falling into Yarra River during Women's World Cup light show
Strong winds have been blamed for more than 400 drones falling from the sky into Melbourne's Yarra River during a light show celebrating the Matildas before the Women's World Cup. The light show, using 500 Damoda drones, was scheduled for the evening of 14 July 2023 over the river in Docklands, in Melbourne's CBD. The drones, part of a show celebrating Australia's women's football team, launched at 6.30pm. Less than two minutes later many began showing critical errors indicating an autopilot failure, according to an Australian Transport Safety Bureau report into the incident, released this week. Shortly after, pilots lost connection to the drones and they began colliding with each other, the ATSB chief commissioner, Angus Mitchell, noted in the report. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email The remote pilot attempted to return the drones to the launch site individually, but 427 of the 500 drones were lost, the majority falling into the Yarra. Divers were sent in to recover them, but were only able to retrieve 236 out of the 427 that entered the water, with 191 remaining unrecovered. The ATSB's investigation found that the wind conditions at the time exceeded the drones' capacity shortly after launch, triggering the collisions and errors. 'The wind limit exceedance was not identified by the [remote pilot] as they were unaware that the wind speed affecting the aircraft was displayed on the [ground control station] computer screen,' Mitchell said. The report identified the operator did not have a system to ensure all of its pilots could use the ground control station's software features, increasing the risk of pilots failing to identify potential issues in the lead-up to the show. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion It also found the software did not have the functionality to actively alert a pilot to wind speed exedances. Damoda has advised the ATSB it is considering an update to enable those alerts. 'This incident demonstrates the importance of drone pilots being familiar with all functionality and data provided by relevant ground control software,' Mitchell said. 'It also shows the impact human factors can have on drone operations, and how they should be actively considered and managed.'
Sydney Morning Herald
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Why hundreds of drones plunged into the Yarra
An aerial light show mishap in which more than 400 drones plunged into the Yarra in inner Melbourne was caused by wind conditions overwhelming the technology and the pilot's ability to respond, the nation's air transport authority has said. The July 2023 light show operated by Australian Traffic Network was planned to coincide with the Matildas' warm-up game with France's national women's soccer team at Marvel Stadium. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau's investigation concluded that drones in the swarm of 500 Damoda Newton V2.2s were pushed out of position by winds that exceeded the standards set for the units. Soon after launching the swarm, the pilot identified 'both visually and from errors displayed on their ground control station computer' that many drones were out of position. As the drones followed directions to move from the launch area to the show area over the water, more errors appeared on the computer and the drones began colliding, the safety bureau said. 'As the errors cascaded, drones were observed to be out of position and colliding with one another,' bureau chief commissioner Angus Mitchell said. In response, the drone pilot 'commanded the swarm to loiter and hold position, and attempted to return those with the most significant errors to the launch site individually'. But the drones lost connection with the pilot, and fell en masse into the river.
Perth Now
15-07-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Pilot failed to monitor winds in drone show debacle
A pilot in command of 500 drones was unaware wind speeds were double the recommended limit, leading to a pre-game light show unmitigated disaster. The show for the Matildas' friendly against France at Marvel Stadium in July 2023 went spectacularly awry when 427 drones plunged into Victoria Harbour in central Melbourne. An Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) investigation has found the swarm of 500 Damoda Newton V2.2 drones was launched with wind speeds close to the their limit of 8m/s. The remote pilot noticed shortly after take off that multiple drones were out of position. But the drones automatically began to move to the show area over the water, triggering more errors with increasing severity. Drones were crashing into each other when the pilot commanded the swarm to loiter and tried to return those with the most significant errors. The computer lost connection to almost 400, with most plummeting into the harbour. Divers contracted by the operator recovered 236 of the drones from the bottom of the harbour, with 191 unable to be found. The bureau's probe found the drones encountered wind conditions that were more than double their published capability. "The wind limit exceedance was not identified by the (remote pilot) as they were unaware that the wind speed affecting the aircraft was displayed on the (ground control station) computer screen," ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said. The pilot's unfamiliarity with the process to make the necessary adjustment and copilot's limited knowledge and experience in show operations were contributing factors. As was the pilot perceiving a "higher than normal" level of pressure for the show to go ahead. "This combined with a higher than normal workload, contributed to their decision to launch the show into unknown wind conditions," the report said. The ground control station computer did not have functionality to actively alert a pilot to wind speed limit breaches, with Damoda considering an update to enable them. The debacle has also prompted the drone's operator to improve training and add requirements for two Civil Aviation Safety Authority-approved pilots to operate every show and pre-flight wind speed tests using individual aircraft. "This incident demonstrates the importance of drone pilots being familiar with all functionality and data provided by relevant ground control software," Mr Mitchell said. "It also shows the impact human factors can have on drone operations, and how they should be actively considered and managed."
