‘Quick answers’ not the aim in Sydney probe, says ATSB boss

“I would like to stress that our highest investigation priority is incidents involving large air transport aircraft carrying fare-paying passengers. This priority directs our resources where there is likely to be the greatest public benefit,” he wrote.

“I want to assure the travelling public and those in industry that we are applying the ATSB’s robust investigation methodology: gathering the evidence carefully, testing it thoroughly, and preparing for the first series of preliminary reports to be released by the end of the month. These preliminary reports will be a publication of the facts we have established in the first weeks of the investigations.

“The desire for quick answers is entirely understandable. When incidents occur at a major airport, people want to know what happened, why it happened, and whether they can continue to have confidence in the system.

“But in transport safety investigation, speed cannot come at the expense of accuracy. Our ability to improve safety depends on evidence-based investigations that are comprehensive, defensible and trusted.”

The ATSB is currently reviewing recorded data, including ATC communications and aircraft recorders where relevant, as well as interviewing air crews, ground crews, and ATCs; reconstructing timings and sequences of events; and looking at safety defences in place during each incident.

“In all six incidents, safety defences operated in some form. Pilots, air traffic controllers or ground crews took appropriate action at a point in time, preventing more serious outcomes. That is reassuring, and it shows that important layers of defence were effective,” said Mitchell.

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“However, that reassurance does not remove the need to understand why those interventions were required in the first place. These investigations will seek to provide assurance about the procedures in place at Sydney Airport for the movement of aircraft.

“They will also examine whether there were common operational elements in play at the time of the incidents, what is the significance, or otherwise, of six incidents in a short timeframe, and whether strengthening any specific parts of the system will reduce the risk of recurrence.”

According to Mitchell, his subsequent priority will be to “establish, or rule out, whether broader systemic safety issues that pose future risk may be present across these six investigations”, and noted that the ATSB has “not yet reached any such determinations”.

“In aviation safety, events that almost happen – such as near collisions, conflicts and procedural breakdowns – invariably provide invaluable insights. They help identify what may be precursors to accidents. That is why investigating these incidents thoroughly and deliberately matters,” he said.

“Recent overseas airport-related accident investigations show a recurring pattern: where known procedural breakdowns are not addressed, the risk of a serious event increases significantly.

“Reassuringly, Australia’s strong commercial aviation safety record and culture means that such potential warning signs are not ignored.”

It comes as the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) flags workforce management at Airservices Australia as a potential topic for 2026-27, with the air navigation service provider having faced scrutiny over the incidents.

“Airservices Australia delivers safety-critical air navigation services and aviation rescue firefighting across the national network, functions that depend on a highly specialised workforce operating under multiple industrial agreements and certification regimes,” the ANAO noted.

Shortfalls or mismatches in skills, numbers, locations, or rostering of this workforce can materially affect the service continuity, cost efficiency, and safety assurance or air transportation.

“The ANAO could examine workforce management in Airservices Australia, including whether its workforce is strategically planned, sustainably resourced, and effectively deployed.”

For its part, Airservices has noted the issue with staffing shortfalls, and says it is recruiting new controllers at its highest-ever rate.