Australian Aerial Applcation safety review 2015-2016
In mid-September the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) issued its aerial application safety 2015-2016 year review. This document found that wirestrike was the most common cause of accident and serious incidents in aerial application between May 2015 and April 2016.
Wirestrikes (where an aircraft hits a wire such as a powerline) caused eleven accidents and serious incidents in the twelve month period. Other types of accidents and serious incidents were engine failure or malfunction (six), collision with terrain (three), controlled flight into terrain (two) and runway excursion (two).