Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand
26 May 2006
MEDIA RELEASE
For further information contact:
Bill Sommer
Tel: 0-4-560 9411 or 0-27-546 8216
Begins
CAA says only two sectors buck very positive air safety trends
Private helicopter and fixed-wing agricultural operations are the two areas of major concern to the CAA and the aviation community, the Director of Civil Aviation John Jones has advised Parliament's Select Committee on Transport and Industrial Relations.
"These are the only operations among the 13 different civil aviation sectors that are generating an increase the number of accidents per 100,000 flying hours. All other sectors are showing marked improvement," the Director says.
"Overall, we have seen a 30% reduction in the accident rate and a 20% reduction in the social costs of accidents in the general aviation over the last three years.
"But in the last 11 months alone, we have seen five fatalities in private helicopters and three fatalities in fixed wing agricultural operations.
"This is in stark contrast to the reduction in the accident rate for helicopter agricultural operations."
The Director says accident rates in the private helicopter sector and fixed wing agricultural operations are of "major concern to us and the aviation community."
"These two sectors are bucking the trend to improved safety in general aviation in New Zealand.
"We are working very closely with the Agricultural Aviation Association, and the wider aviation community, to revise Part 137 of the Aviation Rules governing fixed wing agricultural operations.
"We have already worked with the Agricultural Aviation Association, Federated Farmers and the Department of Labour to produce a draft best practice guideline on agricultural airfield standards and fertilizer storage to address two of the factors frequently involved in accidents during fixed wing agricultural operations.
"We are confident that, through this process, we can achieve a similar safety improvement in fixed wing agricultural operations that we have seen in the helicopter agricultural operations.
"In terms of private helicopter operations, we are working to, as much as possible, take the approach we have adopted successfully for commercial helicopter operations and apply it to the private sector.
"Overall, there has been a satisfying improvement in the safety performance of general aviation in New Zealand, but there is always more to be done," says the Director.
Ends