Latest news with #AngusMitchell
The Age
2 days ago
- General
- The Age
‘Tragic, unnecessary': Missed chance before plane crash
A phone call minutes before a deadly firefighting crash was a missed opportunity to save the lives of those on board during the preventable tragedy, an investigation has found. Australian Transport Safety Bureau chief commissioner Angus Mitchell released a report on Thursday into the crash of the twin-engine Gulfstream 695A aircraft near Mount Isa, in the Queensland outback. 'This was a tragic and entirely preventable and unnecessary accident that took three precious lives,' he said. 'The dangers of aircraft owners and pilots engaging in practices that deliberately circumvent critical safety defences cannot be underestimated.' The aircraft was conducting aerial fire surveillance operations for bushfires in the state's north-west on November 4, 2024. There were radio communication issues with the pilot indicating a lack of oxygen in the body, a condition known as hypoxia, before the plane crashed near Cloncurry. A pilot and two camera operators, including 22-year-old American William Jennings, were on board the plane. It was operated by AGAIR, a Victoria-based firm that specialises in aerial firefighting.
Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- General
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘Tragic, unnecessary': Missed chance before plane crash
A phone call minutes before a deadly firefighting crash was a missed opportunity to save the lives of those on board during the preventable tragedy, an investigation has found. Australian Transport Safety Bureau chief commissioner Angus Mitchell released a report on Thursday into the crash of the twin-engine Gulfstream 695A aircraft near Mount Isa, in the Queensland outback. 'This was a tragic and entirely preventable and unnecessary accident that took three precious lives,' he said. 'The dangers of aircraft owners and pilots engaging in practices that deliberately circumvent critical safety defences cannot be underestimated.' The aircraft was conducting aerial fire surveillance operations for bushfires in the state's north-west on November 4, 2024. There were radio communication issues with the pilot indicating a lack of oxygen in the body, a condition known as hypoxia, before the plane crashed near Cloncurry. A pilot and two camera operators, including 22-year-old American William Jennings, were on board the plane. It was operated by AGAIR, a Victoria-based firm that specialises in aerial firefighting.
The Age
3 days ago
- Health
- The Age
Brisbane train driver ran red light during sneezing fit
A Brisbane train driver with COVID ran a red light when they suffered a sneezing fit in the inner-city a little more than two years ago, according to a new Australian Transport Safety Bureau report. The incident, in which the driver had to apply emergency brakes to avoid another train on the track, prompted the ATSB to urge Queensland Rail to conduct a review of risks on the network. During the morning peak of May 24, 2023, the passenger train on a Coopers Plains to Ferny Grove service ran past a red light between Fortitude Valley and Bowen Hills stations. The driver only noticed the red light as the train passed the signal, at which point the emergency brakes were applied. The train came to a stop 64 metres past the signal, within sight – 296 metres – of another train ahead. The ATSB found the driver had acknowledged an automatic warning system (AWS) alert as the train approached the stop signal, but did not then recognise the signal to stop. Investigators were later told the driver could not remember acknowledging the alert. 'This was likely influenced by the habitual nature of AWS alerts which were … frequently presented during traffic congestion, as well as the driver's brief impairment,' ATSB chief commissioner Angus Mitchell said.
Sydney Morning Herald
3 days ago
- Health
- Sydney Morning Herald
Brisbane train driver ran red light during sneezing fit
A Brisbane train driver with COVID ran a red light when they suffered a sneezing fit in the inner-city a little more than two years ago, according to a new Australian Transport Safety Bureau report. The incident, in which the driver had to apply emergency brakes to avoid another train on the track, prompted the ATSB to urge Queensland Rail to conduct a review of risks on the network. During the morning peak of May 24, 2023, the passenger train on a Coopers Plains to Ferny Grove service ran past a red light between Fortitude Valley and Bowen Hills stations. The driver only noticed the red light as the train passed the signal, at which point the emergency brakes were applied. The train came to a stop 64 metres past the signal, within sight – 296 metres – of another train ahead. The ATSB found the driver had acknowledged an automatic warning system (AWS) alert as the train approached the stop signal, but did not then recognise the signal to stop. Investigators were later told the driver could not remember acknowledging the alert. 'This was likely influenced by the habitual nature of AWS alerts which were … frequently presented during traffic congestion, as well as the driver's brief impairment,' ATSB chief commissioner Angus Mitchell said.
The Advertiser
15-05-2025
- General
- The Advertiser
Ship's near stranding exposes emergency response flaws
A ship's anchors prevented a "catastrophic stranding" on a rocky shore in heavy weather, a safety investigation has found, faulting the ship's operator, maritime agencies, a port authority and a salvage company. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau's final report into the July 2022 incident found the bulk carrier Portland Bay left Port Kembla, south of Sydney, but remained near the coast instead of safely clearing it. Multiple engine problems as the Hong Kong-flagged vessel pitched and rolled reduced speed to a minimum, "effectively disabling the ship in bad weather" and endangering the crew. The vessel was carrying 950 tonnes of heavy fuel oil, raising concerns a grounding would have dire environmental consequences. When the master reported to the ship's operators, Pacific Basin Shipping, he was not advised about notifying authorities. This led to a delay in reporting the situation to the Port Authority of NSW's vessel traffic service, compounded by the service not promptly forwarding the master's report to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority. "The various delays resulted in delaying the tug assistance requested and the master had to deploy both anchors to prevent stranding," said the report, released on Thursday, the bureau's most comprehensive marine investigation in nearly two decades. Rescue helicopters were sent to the ship but had to abandon a plan to winch the crew to safety due to the ship's instability. Three tugs began towing the carrier away from the coast but one towline parted in rough seas, causing the vessel to again drift towards the shore, prompting the master to again deploy anchors. ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said the anchors, while not designed to hold the ship in such severe conditions, "prevented a catastrophic stranding on the rocky shore". An emergency towage vessel was sent from Newcastle and the vessel was towed into Port Botany for repairs on July 6. The ATSB report identified several emergency response issues, including that AMSA and port authority procedures were "not effectively implemented". It also found the co-ordination of critical elements of the emergency response between the port authority, Transport for NSW and AMSA were inadequate and inconsistent with the National Plan for Maritime Environmental Emergencies. "These safety issues prolonged the emergency and the exposure to stranding, with potentially severe consequences." The investigation also found United Salvage was limited in its ability to provide the salvage services required as it did not operate towage vessels, so was reliant on towage providers. Pacific Basin Shipping has revised its crisis management procedures to include at least one exercise each year and to stress early reporting of incidents AMSA has reviewed emergency procedures and increased staffing and training. The ATSB recommended AMSA, the NSW port authority and maritime arm of Transport for NSW take further action on issues raised in the report. "Three legislated bodies had a defined role within relevant legislation and state and national plans to respond to this emergency, but each agency did not believe that the response necessarily fell within their responsibility," Mr Mitchell said. The report noted failures in emergency response were usually associated with actions that were "too little, too late". "Australia's National Plan reiterates the principle of over‑escalation in an initial response as it is more effective to scale down than up." A ship's anchors prevented a "catastrophic stranding" on a rocky shore in heavy weather, a safety investigation has found, faulting the ship's operator, maritime agencies, a port authority and a salvage company. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau's final report into the July 2022 incident found the bulk carrier Portland Bay left Port Kembla, south of Sydney, but remained near the coast instead of safely clearing it. Multiple engine problems as the Hong Kong-flagged vessel pitched and rolled reduced speed to a minimum, "effectively disabling the ship in bad weather" and endangering the crew. The vessel was carrying 950 tonnes of heavy fuel oil, raising concerns a grounding would have dire environmental consequences. When the master reported to the ship's operators, Pacific Basin Shipping, he was not advised about notifying authorities. This led to a delay in reporting the situation to the Port Authority of NSW's vessel traffic service, compounded by the service not promptly forwarding the master's report to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority. "The various delays resulted in delaying the tug assistance requested and the master had to deploy both anchors to prevent stranding," said the report, released on Thursday, the bureau's most comprehensive marine investigation in nearly two decades. Rescue helicopters were sent to the ship but had to abandon a plan to winch the crew to safety due to the ship's instability. Three tugs began towing the carrier away from the coast but one towline parted in rough seas, causing the vessel to again drift towards the shore, prompting the master to again deploy anchors. ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said the anchors, while not designed to hold the ship in such severe conditions, "prevented a catastrophic stranding on the rocky shore". An emergency towage vessel was sent from Newcastle and the vessel was towed into Port Botany for repairs on July 6. The ATSB report identified several emergency response issues, including that AMSA and port authority procedures were "not effectively implemented". It also found the co-ordination of critical elements of the emergency response between the port authority, Transport for NSW and AMSA were inadequate and inconsistent with the National Plan for Maritime Environmental Emergencies. "These safety issues prolonged the emergency and the exposure to stranding, with potentially severe consequences." The investigation also found United Salvage was limited in its ability to provide the salvage services required as it did not operate towage vessels, so was reliant on towage providers. Pacific Basin Shipping has revised its crisis management procedures to include at least one exercise each year and to stress early reporting of incidents AMSA has reviewed emergency procedures and increased staffing and training. The ATSB recommended AMSA, the NSW port authority and maritime arm of Transport for NSW take further action on issues raised in the report. "Three legislated bodies had a defined role within relevant legislation and state and national plans to respond to this emergency, but each agency did not believe that the response necessarily fell within their responsibility," Mr Mitchell said. The report noted failures in emergency response were usually associated with actions that were "too little, too late". "Australia's National Plan reiterates the principle of over‑escalation in an initial response as it is more effective to scale down than up." A ship's anchors prevented a "catastrophic stranding" on a rocky shore in heavy weather, a safety investigation has found, faulting the ship's operator, maritime agencies, a port authority and a salvage company. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau's final report into the July 2022 incident found the bulk carrier Portland Bay left Port Kembla, south of Sydney, but remained near the coast instead of safely clearing it. Multiple engine problems as the Hong Kong-flagged vessel pitched and rolled reduced speed to a minimum, "effectively disabling the ship in bad weather" and endangering the crew. The vessel was carrying 950 tonnes of heavy fuel oil, raising concerns a grounding would have dire environmental consequences. When the master reported to the ship's operators, Pacific Basin Shipping, he was not advised about notifying authorities. This led to a delay in reporting the situation to the Port Authority of NSW's vessel traffic service, compounded by the service not promptly forwarding the master's report to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority. "The various delays resulted in delaying the tug assistance requested and the master had to deploy both anchors to prevent stranding," said the report, released on Thursday, the bureau's most comprehensive marine investigation in nearly two decades. Rescue helicopters were sent to the ship but had to abandon a plan to winch the crew to safety due to the ship's instability. Three tugs began towing the carrier away from the coast but one towline parted in rough seas, causing the vessel to again drift towards the shore, prompting the master to again deploy anchors. ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said the anchors, while not designed to hold the ship in such severe conditions, "prevented a catastrophic stranding on the rocky shore". An emergency towage vessel was sent from Newcastle and the vessel was towed into Port Botany for repairs on July 6. The ATSB report identified several emergency response issues, including that AMSA and port authority procedures were "not effectively implemented". It also found the co-ordination of critical elements of the emergency response between the port authority, Transport for NSW and AMSA were inadequate and inconsistent with the National Plan for Maritime Environmental Emergencies. "These safety issues prolonged the emergency and the exposure to stranding, with potentially severe consequences." The investigation also found United Salvage was limited in its ability to provide the salvage services required as it did not operate towage vessels, so was reliant on towage providers. Pacific Basin Shipping has revised its crisis management procedures to include at least one exercise each year and to stress early reporting of incidents AMSA has reviewed emergency procedures and increased staffing and training. The ATSB recommended AMSA, the NSW port authority and maritime arm of Transport for NSW take further action on issues raised in the report. "Three legislated bodies had a defined role within relevant legislation and state and national plans to respond to this emergency, but each agency did not believe that the response necessarily fell within their responsibility," Mr Mitchell said. The report noted failures in emergency response were usually associated with actions that were "too little, too late". "Australia's National Plan reiterates the principle of over‑escalation in an initial response as it is more effective to scale down than up." A ship's anchors prevented a "catastrophic stranding" on a rocky shore in heavy weather, a safety investigation has found, faulting the ship's operator, maritime agencies, a port authority and a salvage company. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau's final report into the July 2022 incident found the bulk carrier Portland Bay left Port Kembla, south of Sydney, but remained near the coast instead of safely clearing it. Multiple engine problems as the Hong Kong-flagged vessel pitched and rolled reduced speed to a minimum, "effectively disabling the ship in bad weather" and endangering the crew. The vessel was carrying 950 tonnes of heavy fuel oil, raising concerns a grounding would have dire environmental consequences. When the master reported to the ship's operators, Pacific Basin Shipping, he was not advised about notifying authorities. This led to a delay in reporting the situation to the Port Authority of NSW's vessel traffic service, compounded by the service not promptly forwarding the master's report to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority. "The various delays resulted in delaying the tug assistance requested and the master had to deploy both anchors to prevent stranding," said the report, released on Thursday, the bureau's most comprehensive marine investigation in nearly two decades. Rescue helicopters were sent to the ship but had to abandon a plan to winch the crew to safety due to the ship's instability. Three tugs began towing the carrier away from the coast but one towline parted in rough seas, causing the vessel to again drift towards the shore, prompting the master to again deploy anchors. ATSB Chief Commissioner Angus Mitchell said the anchors, while not designed to hold the ship in such severe conditions, "prevented a catastrophic stranding on the rocky shore". An emergency towage vessel was sent from Newcastle and the vessel was towed into Port Botany for repairs on July 6. The ATSB report identified several emergency response issues, including that AMSA and port authority procedures were "not effectively implemented". It also found the co-ordination of critical elements of the emergency response between the port authority, Transport for NSW and AMSA were inadequate and inconsistent with the National Plan for Maritime Environmental Emergencies. "These safety issues prolonged the emergency and the exposure to stranding, with potentially severe consequences." The investigation also found United Salvage was limited in its ability to provide the salvage services required as it did not operate towage vessels, so was reliant on towage providers. Pacific Basin Shipping has revised its crisis management procedures to include at least one exercise each year and to stress early reporting of incidents AMSA has reviewed emergency procedures and increased staffing and training. The ATSB recommended AMSA, the NSW port authority and maritime arm of Transport for NSW take further action on issues raised in the report. "Three legislated bodies had a defined role within relevant legislation and state and national plans to respond to this emergency, but each agency did not believe that the response necessarily fell within their responsibility," Mr Mitchell said. The report noted failures in emergency response were usually associated with actions that were "too little, too late". "Australia's National Plan reiterates the principle of over‑escalation in an initial response as it is more effective to scale down than up."
