The coroner in the Lockhart River inquest, Mr Michael Barnes, on the face of it, produced what appeared to many close observers of the process, a reasonable summation of the causes. Without inviting a rehash of the multitude of detailed dissections of every aspect preceding and following that accident, what Mr Barnes had to say about animosity between CASA and ATSB is no less relevant today, where ATSB's role has undergone substantial undermining. Coroner bashing, rather than the reasoned analysis of their perceived failings, does little to serve the interests of our readership and the interests of seeking better outcomes, dare I say.
Interaction between the ATSB and CASA
Finally, I wish to return to the concerns
I expressed earlier about the working relationship
between CASA and the ATSB. In this and previous
inquests I
have detected a degree of animosity that
I consider inimical to a productive,
collaborative focus on air safety. CASA’s
submissions in this inquest suggest that there
was a danger of the ATSB's recommendations
being ignored and I continue
to detect a defensive and less than
fulsome response to some of them.
I am aware that others in the aviation
industry share these concerns,
although I anticipate the CEOs of
the two agencies will disavow them.