In civil aviation, investigating
aircraft accidents is the responsibility of the National Transportation
Safety Board (in the United States) or a similar government agency
in any country that is a signatory to the ICAO Conventions. Nonetheless,
under ICAO Annex 13 and in the US CFR Part 830, every operator
of a civil aircraft has certain responsibilities in the event
of an accident or incident. These responsibilities include proper
reporting, preservation of evidence, and support of the investigation
team. In addition, agencies or organizations actively involved
in the accident may be invited by the NTSB to participate in
the investigation. This would include the operator, airframe
and engine manufacturers, and other technical experts. To be
qualified to join the investigation, invited participants must
have the technical expertise to support the investigation as
well as an understanding of the accident investigation process
in order to provide accurate and timely support.
These are the regulatory reasons
for understanding the aircraft accident investigation process
and techniques. There is also another very important reason for
understanding accident investigation. The NTSB and the FAA only
become involved in those events (accident or incidents) that
are reportable under Federal Regulations. But, many events occur
that are not reportable which under slightly different circumstances
could easily have been an accident and reportable. An effective
aviation safety program must be able to identify, investigate,
and correct the factors that create near accidents so that a
real accident can be prevented.
It is for these two reasons that
SCSI has designed and offers this Aircraft Accident Investigation
(AAI) course. In this course you will become familiar with the
regulatory requirements for investigating and reporting, not
only those requirements applicable to the United States, but
also those of ICAO Annex 13 upon which almost all modern individual
reporting and investigating requirements are based regardless
of nation. Once you understand the reporting requirements you
will learn about how to comply with the operator's responsibilities
to preserve evidence and support the investigation. You will
learn how to set up an interim response team that will collect
and preserve evidence. You will learn what evidence to preserve
and how to preserve it. You will also learn about the hazards
at an accident site and how to protect yourself.
You will learn the process of
investigation from initial actions and set up to how to investigate
each area of specialty, systems, structures, engines, and operations.
You will be introduced to the areas of aircraft performance and
structures that contribute to aircraft accidents and how they
can be identified. You will also learn about specialized areas
of investigation such as fire, midair collision, and in-flight
explosion. You will learn how the use of recording devices and
simulation have enhanced and improved the process of finding
accident causes.
Human error is estimated to be
a major cause in 85% of all aircraft accidents. You will learn
Human Factors to help investigate possible human error. This
portion of the course will examine the role of psychological
and physiological effects as well as the role of the aero-medical
investigator.
It has been said that a picture is worth a
thousand words. Accident photography is used to document evidence and
to illustrate the investigator's conclusions. There are many choices of
media today, both chemical and electronic. In this course you will receive
instruction in the use of both chemical and digital photography systems and
have hands on experience with digital photography systems using the SCSI crash
lab. Although digital cameras will be provided, you may bring your own
cameras.
Recent technology advances
enable investigators to use the global positioning satellite (GPS) system
during aircraft accident investigations. This course will include
practical experience in using the GPS system.
This is a hands on course. You
will learn by doing: by looking at accident evidence, determining
causes, developing findings, and, finally, actually putting together
an accident report. You will also review several actual accident
reports from various countries. You will learn the strengths
and weaknesses of each sample report and thereby be better able
to produce a quality report when you participate as part of an
investigation board.
The instructors in this course
are all experts in their fields, and all have extensive investigation
experience. They have taught this course or one similar to it
for the former Bureau of Air Safety Investigators of Australia (now part of
the ATSB, Australia), as well as to members
of the civil aviation and/or investigation authorities of the Philippines, Canada,
Singapore, Denmark, the Netherlands, Costa Rica, Taiwan, and attendees
from manufacturers, operators, pilot associations, and the defense
forces from various countries. When you complete this course you will
have the knowledge necessary to actively participate in an aircraft
accident investigation and to conduct internal investigations
of events for your organizations.
