Safety in the vicinity of non-towered aerodromes - Australian ...

Airproxes were significantly represented in serious incidents and accidents. An
airprox is defined in the Transport Safety Investigation Regulations 2003 as an
occurrence in which two or more aircraft come into such close proximity that a threat
to the safety of those aircraft exists or may exist, in airspace where the aircraft are not
subject to an air traffic separation standard or where separation is a pilot
responsibility.
Of the 66 serious incidents and accidents that were reported, the most common
occurrence types were:
• airprox events (55 occurrences)
• air-to-air and air-to-ground communication breakdowns (19 occurrences)
• TCAS/ACAS alerts (7 occurrences, all being RAs due to an airprox)
• missed approaches and go-arounds (6 occurrences)
• other communication issues (5 occurrences)
• mid-air collisions (4 occurrences)
• departing, approaching, or landing on the wrong runway (4 occurrences)
• non-compliance with published information (4 occurrences)
• other aircraft separation issues (4 occurrences)
• collisions on ground (3 occurrences)
• runway incursions (3 occurrences).
3.3 Who reported the occurrence?
Approximately three-fifths of the 709 occurrences were self-reported by the
pilot/flight crew of a commercial aircraft (including aircraft conducting charter
operations, aerial work, and flying training) (Figure 3).
Figure 3: Reporting sources of safety events at non-towered aerodromes, 2003
to 2008
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