Incident Reporting for RPAS Operators

Incident Reporting Is a Legal and Operational Requirement

Incident reporting is not optional.

Under Australian aviation law, RPAS operators must report certain safety occurrences to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB).

This applies to:

• operations conducted under a ReOC 
• certain operations involving larger or higher-risk RPAS

Within your operation:

All personnel must report safety occurrences internally — the CRP is responsible for external reporting

What Is a Safety Occurrence?

A safety occurrence is:

Any event that affects, or could affect, the safety of an RPAS operation 

This includes:

• incidents
• near misses
• equipment failures
• operational deviations

Not all occurrences are reportable to the ATSB — but all should be:

captured internally and assessed

Immediately Reportable Matters (IRM)

What Is an IRM?

An Immediately Reportable Matter is a serious occurrence that requires urgent notification.

These are events with:

• significant safety consequences
• high potential for harm
• broader aviation safety implications

Examples in RPAS Operations

IRM events may include:

• fatal injury
• serious injury
• major structural damage to the aircraft
• aircraft missing or inaccessible
• loss of separation with another aircraft
• serious third-party property damage (≥ $25,000)
• collision with an animal (including birds)

Reporting Timeframe

IRM must be:

• Reported immediately by phone 
• Followed by a written report within 72 hours 

Immediate means as soon as reasonably practicable — not the end of the day

Routinely Reportable Matters (RRM)

What Is an RRM?

A Routinely Reportable Matter is a significant safety occurrence that does not meet the threshold of an IRM but still requires formal reporting.

Examples in RPAS Operations

• RRM events may include:
• events that could affect operational safety 
• aircraft missing
• serious aircraft damage
• loss of separation with another aircraft
• emergency declarations
• external aircraft-related incidents

Reporting Timeframe

RRM must be:

• Reported within 72 hours via an ATSB Occurrence Notification

RPAS Weight and Operational Context Matters

Reporting requirements vary depending on:

• aircraft weight
• certification status
• operational category

RPA Over 25 kg (or Certified Operations)

Both IRM and RRM apply.

These operations have:

• higher regulatory expectations
• broader reporting requirements

RPA Between 250 g and 25 kg (ReOC Operations)

Reportable events include:

• serious damage
• missing aircraft
• loss of separation
• serious injury or damage

IRM and RRM thresholds still apply.

RPA Under 250 g (and Excluded Category)

In most cases:

• ATSB reporting is not required 

However:

Internal reporting and safety management still apply

Chief Remote Pilot (CRP)

The CRP is responsible for:

• assessing the occurrence
• determining if it is reportable
• submitting reports to the ATSB
• ensuring timeframes are met

The CRP is the central point of accountability for safety occurrence reporting

CEO / Responsible Manager

The CEO is responsible for:

• ensuring reporting systems exist
• ensuring compliance with reporting obligations
• supporting safety oversight

What Must Be Preserved After an Incident

Following a reportable occurrence:

All personnel must take reasonable steps to preserve:

• flight logs
• telemetry data
• operational records
• aircraft components

These may be required for:

• investigation
• analysis

regulatory review

Internal Reporting Still Matters

Not all events are ATSB reportable.

However, all operators should maintain:

• incident reports
• hazard reports
• near miss reporting
• safety occurrence registers

This supports:

• risk management
• SMS

DDI safety monitoring

Common Mistakes

We frequently see operators:

• not understanding IRM vs RRM thresholds
• delaying reporting
• failing to report near misses internally
• not preserving data after an incident
• assuming small drones remove reporting obligations

Incident Reporting in CRP Assessment

CRP candidates should be able to:

• define IRM and RRM
• identify reportable scenarios
• explain reporting timeframes
• describe who is responsible
• link reporting to safety management

This is commonly assessed through:

scenario-based questions

 Practical Reporting Workflow

A simple process:

1. Identify the occurrence
2. Ensure immediate safety
3. Notify the CRP
4. Determine IRM or RRM
5. Report within required timeframe
6. Preserve evidence
7. Record internally
8. Implement corrective actions

How Uncrewed Approvals Can Help

We support operators to:

• develop reporting procedures aligned with CASA and ATSB
• train personnel on reporting thresholds
• integrate reporting into SMS and DDI frameworks
• prepare for audits and regulatory reviews

We help operators move from:

basic compliance → structured safety intelligence