Incident reporting guidelines
We encourage and emphasise reporting all incidents (even small ones such as tree or shrub landings) by a simple phone call to a committee member.
Immediate reporting allows us to manage our sites and relationships.
It is about prevention, not punishment.
Our club committee has strong relationships with land managers such as councils and National Parks. It is important that they hear about incidents from us first rather than a member of the public. This communication goes a long way in maintaining our relationships and flying privileges.
Please call our Senior Safety Officer Dom (or any committee member) anytime you have an accident, incident or neurchi.
Neurchis
If you have a neurchi, call us.
A neurchi is a stuff up. It is often amusing, and usually doesn’t result in more than a few scratches. The pilot will probably re-launch after a quick brush off or maybe go home and coddle their ego. But the club needs to know about it if there was any damage (even minor) to nature, or the environment, or if a member of the public who witnessed it might have concerns.
Examples include a wing hooked up on a shrub in a public location; a tree branch being snapped off to extract a wing; a pilot dragged backwards over a pathway; accidentally landing somewhere you shouldn’t (eg. private property). By immediately letting us know about these, we can weave our magic with land managers and head off any negative PR which can jeopardize our sites.
Incident
If you have an incident, call us and follow the SAFA reporting process.
An incident is defined as an occurrence related to the operation of an aircraft that is not classified as an accident but could affect the safety of the operation. Examples of incidents include hard landings or other events with potential for serious injury, including near misses; the use of rescue equipment or crews to extricate the pilot or aircraft from a landing site​​.
Accident
If you have an accident, follow the SAFA reporting process.
An accident is defined as an occurrence involving an aircraft where Death or serious injury occurs to any person as a result of the operation of the aircraft; third-party property is destroyed or seriously damaged as a result of the aircraft operation.
The SAFA reporting process
Immediate Notification
After an accident, it must be reported to the SAFA Operations Manager as soon as possible. If the accident results in a fatality, you must also inform Police immediately and report to SAFA by phone.
Online Reporting
The accident must be reported via the SAFA online AIRS (Accident/Incident Reporting System) within 72 hours of the incident.
Responsibilities
Both the pilot in command, the owner, and any other responsible parties must ensure the report is submitted. Even if unsure whether an accident has been reported, it is better to report it again than risk it going unreported.
Fatalities
If a fatality has occurred, the ATSB (Australian Transport Safety Bureau) and CASA (Civil Aviation Safety Authority) will also be involved, and the aircraft must not be moved without their permission unless it’s necessary to extricate people or protect the site.
