The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has found that the accident rate for private aircraft operations in the country over a five-year period between 2001 and 2005 generally declined and fatal accidents have remained low, but the fatal accident rate for rotary-wing aircraft is climbing gradually.
Private flying accounts for around a quarter of general aviation activity in the country, with 400,000 flying hours conducted annually. While fixed-wing aircraft account for 90% of private flying, rotary-wing operations are on the rise in the country.
Accident and fatal accident rates for private operations are among the highest for any general aviation activity, according to the bureau. Between 2001 and 2005 there were 324 private and business aircraft accidents in the country, it says. The fatal accident rate for fixed-wing aircraft during the period fell from 2.5 per 100,000h in 2001 to a low of 0.6 per 100,000h in 2003 before increasing to 2.0 per 100,000h in 2005. The fatal accident rate for rotary-wing aircraft was reasonably steady until 2005 when it increased to 4.9 per 100,000h.
Fixed-wing and rotary-wing accidents share similarities in the types of accident, with most accidents involving collisions, loss of aircraft control, airframe and powerplant issues. Collisions and loss of aircraft control account for most of the fatal accidents. Around two-thirds of all accidents involved operational factors, with the remaining third associated with mechanical factors.
More than half of all fixed-wing accidents occur in the landing phase of flight, while manoeuvring and cruise are among the most common phases of flight for accidents involving rotary-wing aircraft, according to the ATSB.
Source: Flight International
