{"id":"89c81bc0-5745-490a-8e0b-282d951b2e68","slug":"bhp-goonyella-autonomous-truck-excavator-collision-2023","kind":"collision","headline":"Autonomous Caterpillar haul truck reversed into a manned excavator at BHP's Goonyella coal mine (2023)","summary":"In August 2023 at the BHP Mitsubishi Alliance Goonyella open-pit coal mine in Queensland, Australia, a loss of communications on an autonomous circuit led a Caterpillar haul truck operating in autonomous mode to reverse into and strike a manually-operated excavator. The Queensland Mines Inspectorate reported no injuries to the worker; it prompted review of autonomous-haulage comms-loss handling.","occurredAt":"2023-08-01T12:00:00.000Z","reviewStatus":"unreviewed","modelId":null,"deploymentId":null,"companyId":"ba0a063b-3945-4c72-8c0b-050c365059eb","aliases":[],"collisionRisk":"none","reviewNote":null,"severity":"minor","rootCauseCategory":"software_defect","rootCauseDetail":"Loss of communications on the autonomous haulage circuit; truck reversed into a manned excavator (no injuries).","affectedUnitsCount":null,"affectedUnitsBasis":null,"remediationStatus":"resolved","regulatoryAction":"investigation","regulatoryBody":"Queensland Mines Inspectorate","propertyDamageEstimateUsd":null,"damageEstimateBasis":null,"bodilyInjurySeverity":null,"fatalityCount":0,"lossCostClass":null,"sourceQualityTier":null,"oshaRecordable":null,"oshaCaseNumber":null,"rootCauseDisclosed":null,"publicDisclosureDate":null,"insuranceClaimPublic":null,"createdAt":"2026-06-24T03:08:57.552Z","updatedAt":"2026-06-24T03:08:57.552Z","model":null,"deployment":null,"company":{"id":"ba0a063b-3945-4c72-8c0b-050c365059eb","name":"Caterpillar","slug":"caterpillar","description":"Caterpillar is an American construction and mining equipment manufacturer based in Irving, Texas, developing autonomous trucks (Cat 793F Command for Hauling, 789D AHS) for surface mining, enabling driverless haulage in commercial mining operations.","status":"public (NYSE: CAT)","founded":1925,"hq":"Irving, TX","fundingTotal":null,"type":null,"reviewStatus":"reviewed","sources":[{"url":"https://www.caterpillar.com/","title":"Caterpillar official website","sourceName":"Caterpillar"},{"url":"https://www.caterpillar.com/en/news/caterpillarNews/mining/command-for-hauling.html","title":"Command for Hauling","sourceName":"Caterpillar"}],"keyFacts":[{"label":"Founded","value":"1925, Deerfield, Illinois"},{"label":"CEO","value":"Jim Umpleby (2017-)"},{"label":"Product","value":"Construction and mining equipment engines; Cat MineStar Command autonomous hauling and dozing; Command remote control systems"},{"label":"Public","value":"NYSE: CAT"},{"label":"Robotics","value":"Command for Hauling (autonomous mining trucks); Command for Dozing; Command for Loading; 500+ autonomous trucks deployed"},{"label":"Patents","value":"Autonomous mining vehicle control, remote operation, fleet management, engine and powertrain systems"}],"aliases":[],"collisionRisk":"low","reviewNote":null,"atsProvider":null,"atsSlug":null,"factoryLocations":null,"manufacturingCapacity":null,"orgType":null,"burnSignal":null,"litigationEvents":null,"insurancePostureDisclosed":null,"unitEconomicsDisclosed":null,"createdAt":"2026-06-07T15:31:46.149Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-09T03:03:34.622Z"},"derived":{"status":"active"},"sources":[{"id":"5c5b9efa-e32a-4b9b-91cf-daae238c2d84","incidentId":"89c81bc0-5745-490a-8e0b-282d951b2e68","url":"https://www.miningmonthly.com/technology/news-articles/1464235/implications-autonomous-truck-incident","label":"Mining Monthly","publishedAt":null,"notes":null,"title":null,"sourceName":null,"mediaType":"article","videoId":null,"channel":null,"durationSec":null,"timestampSec":null,"createdAt":"2026-06-24T03:08:57.552Z","updatedAt":"2026-06-24T03:08:57.552Z"}],"responses":[],"statusEvents":[],"jsonLd":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://registry.deploy.report/incidents/bhp-goonyella-autonomous-truck-excavator-collision-2023","url":"https://registry.deploy.report/incidents/bhp-goonyella-autonomous-truck-excavator-collision-2023","headline":"Autonomous Caterpillar haul truck reversed into a manned excavator at BHP's Goonyella coal mine (2023)","description":"In August 2023 at the BHP Mitsubishi Alliance Goonyella open-pit coal mine in Queensland, Australia, a loss of communications on an autonomous circuit led a Caterpillar haul truck operating in autonomous mode to reverse into and strike a manually-operated excavator. The Queensland Mines Inspectorate reported no injuries to the worker; it prompted review of autonomous-haulage comms-loss handling.","identifier":"89c81bc0-5745-490a-8e0b-282d951b2e68","datePublished":"2023-08-01T12:00:00.000Z","articleSection":"collision","publisher":{"@id":"https://deploy.report/#organization"},"author":{"@id":"https://deploy.report/#organization"}},"framework_metadata":{"framework_schema_version":"0.1.0","verification_status":"unreviewed","maturity_stage":null,"lifecycle_state":null,"architectural_position":{"cohort":null,"sub_cohorts":[]},"within_cohort_verified_vs_claimed_pair":null,"cap_flags":[],"verification_depth":{"sources_count":1,"primary_source_types":[]}}}