Originally Posted by
andrewr
There are really only 2 questions that need to be answered:
Were they both IFR?
Were they in class G airspace?
If the answer to both is yes, then this is the Australian system Working As Designed.
We know aircraft in IMC cannot adequately self separate - that is why ATC was invented. We get away with it in Australia most of the time because IFR traffic is relatively low. We have rejected Class E (radar or procedural) designed to prevent this type of accident.
We knew the risk was there. We knew a collision between IFR aircraft in Class G would happen eventually. We know it will happen again eventually if the current system is maintained long enough.
We also know the solution: Class E airspace. Or perhaps these days a technology solution would be appropriate - make some form of TCAS mandatory for IFR aircraft.
A 3 year inquiry might find something the pilots did or didn't do that might have prevented the accident. But that would be a distraction. The real issue is we have IFR without ATC separation, and that means collisions will occur.
Correct.
And then there’s all those RPT operations in and out of aerodromes in G....