iscover
In its final report, the safety watchdog found that the crash of the Rockwell 695A Jetprop Commander light aircraft, registered VH-HPY, on 4 November 2023 was likely due to pilot hypoxia from a faulty pressurisation system of which operator AGAIR had been aware for some time.
The Queensland-based firm plans to use the Transall C-160 fixed-wing aircraft, which can safely land on small regional airstrips for refilling, to bolster its aerial firefighting capabilities in remote and rugged locations. It aims to have all three operational for the 2025–26 fire season.
This season has seen around 3,000 drops by both fixed-wing and rotary aircraft, up from 1,399 hours in the previous period, which the state government has attributed to longer and larger fire incidents.
Greg Mullins argued countries would be unwilling to lend Australia its aircraft if its own fire season lasted all year round, rather than being confined to the summer months.
The announcement of the industrial action was overshadowed by a row over 'leaked documents' obtained by the firefighters union, which apparently showed travellers were at high risk. Airservices Australia, which oversees airport firefighting, responded by arguing the files showed no such thing and were already in the public domain.
The action by the United Firefighters Union of Australia (UFUA), which will take place during the Easter school holidays, comes after more than 90 per cent of members in a ballot this week voted for future action over claims of understaffing.
