Private aviation and passenger shipping are the biggest concerns in maritime, air and rail traffic

“Safety in the sea, air and rail sector is improving year by year, but still new risks arise associated with technical progress and, for example, the development of private aviation,” claimed Rene Arikas, Director of the Estonian Safety Investigation Bureau. “The largest number of accidents occur at sea, and there are also more vehicles there than in the air and on the railway. The ESIB sees a large increase in the statistics of accidents in small and private aviation, which is worrisome. One of the reasons is using aircraft that have failed inspection or are unregistered. In 2021, a safety investigation was conducted for six accidents. We also encourage private pilots to use on-board cameras more often. For example, finding out the causes of the last year’s R44 helicopter accident would not have been possible without the on-board camera recording.”
 
“To give a few examples, in April there was an aircraft accident with a homebuilt motorised hang-glider, with one person seriously injured, caused by the pilot’s decision to perform a manoeuvre in an unsuitable location,” Rene Arikas noted. “In September, there was an aircraft accident with a motorised hang-glider Aeros, with one person injured, caused by the pilot’s exceedance of the critical angle of attack. In October, there was an aircraft accident with an R44 helicopter, due to the lack of the pilot’s attention during take-off. The pilot suffered minor injuries and the aircraft was severely damaged.”
 
“There were no serious accidents in the railway sector in 2021.  Several minor incidents, including derailments, collisions between motor vehicles and trains, and the like, were on the agenda. In total, the ESIB received notification of nine accidents and five incidents,” Rene Arikas explained. “Every reported incident gets the full attention of the ESIB. Additional material is collected about all accidents. On this basis, a preliminary assessment of the circumstances is carried out, which is usually limited to a month, but may also take a few months. The preliminary assessment addresses the case from the railway safety point of view. The risks of the occurrence and the possibilities of their management by the railway company are assessed. Depending on the circumstances and the specifics of the incident, the documentation and the company’s work routine are examined.
 
“The ESIB is not responsible for accident and incident statistics, these are compiled by the Consumer Protection and Technical Regulatory Authority,” remarked Rene Arikas. “The railway accident investigator of the Estonian Safety Investigation Bureau is in close contact with the railway companies, who must immediately notify of the accident or incident after the initial information about the nature of the incident has become evident. The railway companies that have not yet notified their incidents to the ESIB should adjust their activities. The Estonian Safety Investigation Bureau investigates serious accidents.”
 
“In 2021 in the maritime sector, the main focus of the Estonian Safety Investigation Bureau activities was on the preliminary assessment of the wreck of M/S Estonia, which is conducted in cooperation with colleagues from Sweden and Finland. Compared to the past, there were not many serious marine casualties involving ships in Estonia last year, however, unfortunately, one person died and two were injured in an accident on a ship,” stated Rene Arikas. “The ESIB conducted a preliminary assessment of twelve incidents in 2021 and initiated a safety investigation of seven incidents.” 
 
“The most serious incident took place on October 13, when a very serious marine casualty occurred on board the reefer Baltic Pearl, in which one person died and one person was injured. The safety investigation is led by the flag state of the ship, the Bahamas. On March 23, a marine casualty occurred on the tugboat Atlas, where one of the crew members was seriously injured. A serious marine casualty occurred with the ferry Tõll on July 21, where the ferry collided with the berth at Kuivastu Harbour, but fortunately nobody was injured. A further marine incident occurred on December 18, where proper watch was not kept on duty on the bridge of the ship STK-1007. A serious marine casualty safety investigation was initiated concerning the incident of the main propulsion machinery shutdown of the ferry Megastar on December 17. Fortunately, this incident did not cause damage, only the regular service was stopped and the ship was in good condition after a day’s repairs. The increase in the number of incidents involving passenger ships is a cause for concern. There has also been an increase in incidents involving state-owned ships. A safety investigation concerning the incident involving two state-owned ships is still ongoing,” Rene Arikas concluded.