Response to misleading reporting in The Australian on aviation safety

The article by Rory Callinan in The Australian on 20 April 2018, “Flying fuel tanker’s landing ‘bungled’, twice” is misleading and irresponsible.

To assert, as The Australian did, that Air Force KC-30A MRTT aircraft have been involved in safety incidents “involving bungled or unusual landing attempts” when landing at Australian airports and military bases is wrong.

As the Defence Aviation Authority, I am accountable to the Secretary and the Chief of the Defence Force for the regulation and oversight of all aspects of Defence Aviation. I have been provided with detailed event investigation material for each of the events mentioned in the article.

Both of the events were reported by the operating crews and were investigated within the approved aviation safety management system. Independent reviews were also conducted by Defence aviation safety officers external to the operating Squadron.

To be clear, there were no unsafe aspects to either of the events reported.

Defence follows the principles of the International Civil Aviation Organisation Convention and I remain completely confident in the safety reporting culture of the Defence aviation community.

GN Davies, AO, CSC

Air Marshal

Chief of Air Force