REPORTS
Loss of Separation Between Aircraft in Australian Airspace
Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB). Aviation Research Investigation, AR-2012-034. Oct. 18, 2013. 97 pp. Appendixes, figures, glossary, tables.
Loss of separation (LOS) events involving aircraft under air traffic control (ATC) occur, on average, about once every three days in Australia, according to this ATSB study, conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the national air traffic system.
Most LOS events — including the 531 events reported to ATSB in the period studied, between January 2008 and June 2012 — are not near-midair collisions, the report on the study said, noting that in 90 percent, “there was no, or a low, risk of aircraft colliding.” In fact, there has never been a midair collision in Australia between aircraft that were receiving a se…
