Figures 7 and 8 illustrate trends in accidents and incidents per hours flown, by industry sector. Care should be taken in interpreting the sector trends, given the necessary assumptions made in calculating the results.

Over the timeframe analysed (2015 to 2019):

• The low number of accidents experienced in the air transport sector contributes to inherent volatility, as evident in Figure 7. Since 2015, accident rates for the aerial work and flying training sectors show a decreasing trend. The general aviation sector also displays a declining trend, with decreases in all years except 2019.
• The incident rate trends for aerial work and flying training have trended down since 2015. Air transport incident rates have remained virtually stable over the past five years, easing in 2019.

Figure 7 Industry sector – accident rate trends

_{Note: The accident rate information was formulated on a calendar year basis. This is due to flying hours being collected by the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE) on a calendar year basis through an annual survey.}

_{The quality assured occurrence information used in the accident rate calculations was extracted on 14 July 2020, at which date all accidents had been processed up to the required 31 December 2019 timeframe.}

_{Fatal and non-fatal accidents are included in the accident rate calculation.}

_{A moving average rate has been plotted to help display any underlying trends.}

_{Sources: Australian Transport Safety Bureau Air Safety Incident Reports and BITRE published flying hours.}

Figure 8 Industry sector – incident rate trends

_{Note: The incident rate information was formulated on a calendar year basis. This is due to flying hours being collected by the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE) on a calendar year basis through an annual survey.}

_{The quality assured occurrence information used in the incident rate calculations was extracted on 14 July 2020, at which date all incidents had been processed up to the required 31 December 2019 timeframe.}

_{Serious and non-serious incidents are included in the incident rate calculation.}

_{A moving average rate has been plotted to help display any underlying trends.}

_{Sources: Australian Transport Safety Bureau Air Safety Incident Reports and BITRE published flying hours.}