Sydney runway incident called one of the most serious in more than 20 years — ABC News Australia

In Australia, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has called an incident on a runway at Sydney Airport one of the most serious in more than 20 years of record-keeping. This was reported by ABC News Australia.

The ATSB released four preliminary reports into six incidents that occurred at Kingsford Smith Airport in July and August. The documents contain no final conclusions or recommendations, but describe the sequence of events and operating conditions at the time of the incidents.

Aircraft stopped 120 metres from each other

On July 27, a coordination failure resulted in a controller authorising a Qantas Boeing 737 with 157 people on board to cross a runway while a QantasLink Bombardier with 55 people on board was landing. The Boeing stopped before reaching the intersection of runways 34L and 25, but was already within the runway surface beyond the stop bars. The Bombardier also stopped before the intersection, and the distance between the aircraft was about 120 metres.

ATSB Commissioner Angus Mitchell classified the case as a Category A runway incursion. According to him, it was the most serious such incident in Sydney and only the third case in this category in Australia since the ATSB began keeping records in 2003. He noted that in all six cases, controllers, pilots or ground staff acted to prevent more serious consequences.

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ATSB examines air traffic controller fatigue risks

The interim report also states that the controller who issued the clearance to the Boeing 737 had a high predicted fatigue risk when the shift was briefly handed over to another controller during his break. Overall, four of the seven controllers in Sydney Airport's control tower had a high predicted fatigue risk at the time.

Mitchell stressed that an elevated risk does not automatically mean that the controller was fatigued or that fatigue affected his work. The ATSB will examine the effectiveness of measures to manage this predetermined risk, as well as whether the combination of operational roles and excessive reliance on overtime may have been underlying factors in the incidents.

In July and August this year, 11 ground incidents were recorded at Sydney Airport, including six being investigated by the ATSB. Regulator CASA said that Australia's aviation network and Sydney Airport remain safe. Final findings on the incidents of July 27, August 9 and August 18 may be ready within 12 months.