Australia’s light aircraft accident rate has continued to fall steadily by more than four per cent each year over the last ten years. At the same time the accident rate over the last decade for large regular public transport aircraft has averaged just 0.2 for every 100,000 hours of flying.

Low capacity regular public transport aircraft have an accident rate of 1.1 per 100,000 hours of flying. The accident rate figures are featured in the latest annual report issued by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority. Figures show that over the last decade there have been no fatal accidents in Australia involving high capacity regular public transport aircraft.

Over this time, fatal accidents in light aircraft have been falling each year by 5.7 per cent. CASA’s chief executive officer, Bruce Byron, says while the improving accident rate is good news more work must be done to address aviation risks.

Mr Byron says CASA has begun a special review of the aviation system to identify the major risks to air safety in each sector of aviation. “CASA is focussed on putting both attention and resources where they will have the greatest impact on aviation safety without leaving a safety vacuum in any particular area,” Mr Byron says.

“The starting points of this process are an analysis of the safety risk and the priority we must give to the safety of the travelling public.”

Mr Byron says he is also acting to ensure CASA’s inspectors spend more time in the field working with people in the aviation industry. “CASA is focussing more on helping the industry comply with aviation safety requirements.

“We see the way ahead as a willing partnership in safety between CASA and members of the aviation industry who, at the end of the day, have a duty of care to deliver operational safety.

“I want to extend a mentoring role to CASA’s day-to-day compliance activities and have directed that resources be re-allocated so that from 2004-05 CASA inspectors will have more time in the field.”

FMI: http://casa.gov.au