Description

Confidential Aviation Incident Reporting (CAIR) was instituted by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) in 1988 as a supplement to their mandatory reporting system, the Air Safety Incident Report (ASIR). The program’s focus is on systems, procedures and equipment, rather than on individuals.

CAIR aims to gather data that would not be reported under a mandatory system. It covers:

• Flight crews
• Maintenance workers
• Passengers
• Air traffic service officers

The program is designed to capture information, no matter how minor the incident. While confidentiality is maintained, the report must not be anonymous or contain unverifiable information. The ATSB supplement in the ‘Flight Safety Australia’ magazine is the primary method of publishing a report and obtaining feedback on CAIR issues. Publication of selected CAIR reports on the Internet is planned. CAIR already covers all aspects of Australian civil aviation. Air safety investigations are performed by ATSB independent of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) (the regulator) and AirServices Australia (the air traffic service provider). The ATSB has no power to implement its recommendations.

Further Reading

• GAIN - Methods & Tools for Safety Analysis in Air Traffic Management.