Mid-air collision involving Piper PA-44-180 Seminole, VH-JQF, and Beech D95A Travel A

[sunnySA]

Maths 101, 6 miles in your 12 o'clock, unless they were on reciprocal tracks then the aircraft shouldn't have collided.

ATC 101, vector the aircraft at the current position of the other aircraft and they'll never hit.

There seems to be an inconsistency between Figure 13: Recreation of STCA display at 1122:29 and Figure 20: Aircraft position for AEM and JQF

These aircraft were under pilot navigation. Figure 13 there appears to be about 150 (160?) degrees between the relative flight paths, figure 20 there appears to be about 100 degrees between the relative flight paths. JQF must've turned further left to intercept their outbound track to LACEY.

[edit: Figure 24: Estimated collision aspect based on ADS-B data and wreckage assessment shows the angle as being about 135 degrees]

AIP GEN 3.3 para 2.16.7 h. "any other data which may enhance the value of the information". For JQF "traffic right to left", not sure that 12 o'clock was accurate. Why is that ATSB needed to do a recreation of the STCA display? Surely there was a TAAATS replay available including all the HMI actions of the controller, use of route display, use of Bearing and Range tools, movement of the labels, use of highlight function, use of text areas, which strip windows were open.

Figure 12: STCA activation and vertical profiles for AEM and JQF is interesting as it shows that the controller changed their display range (ASD range) a number of times, zoomed in, zoomed out, zoomed in and zoomed in further. When your sector extends across two states, from south of (abeam) Melbourne to north of Canberra and Wagga, to have a range of just 23NM demonstrates that the controller was focused on the STCA alert.

How is that Eurocat still has STCA issues? How is it that STCA's have been inhibited in Class G airspace in the BN FIR below 4500ft and not in the ML FIR? Interestingly ATSB doesn't explore this discrepancy.

Linking to ATSB publication A pilot’s guide to staying safe in the vicinity of non-towered aerodromes - such a dated document. Published 2013. Quotes statistics from 2003 and 2008 where there were 709 occurrences in the vicinity of non-towered aerodromes were reported to the ATSB relating to airspace use, operations and procedural compliance. Do we have more up-to-date information? What has changed since 2013?

I am pleased that the Department of Infrastructure is partially funding the installation of ADS-B transponder technology. I'd much rather than it was 100% funding.