Aircraft accident investigation techniques are a critical aspect of aviation safety. When an aircraft accident occurs, it is important to determine the cause of the accident in order to prevent similar accidents from happening in the future. There are several techniques that are commonly used in aircraft accident investigations.
One important technique is the examination of the wreckage. This involves thoroughly examining the wreckage of the aircraft to determine the cause of the accident. This can include examining the engines, wings, and other structural components of the aircraft. The wreckage can provide valuable information about the condition of the aircraft at the time of the accident and can help investigators determine the cause of the accident.
Another important technique is the analysis of the flight data recorder (FDR) and the cockpit voice recorder (CVR). These devices are commonly referred to as the "black boxes" and are designed to record important data about the flight and the actions of the pilots. The FDR and CVR can provide valuable information about the events leading up to the accident, including the altitude, speed, and direction of the aircraft.
In addition to examining the wreckage and analyzing the FDR and CVR, investigators may also interview witnesses to the accident. These can include passengers, crew members, and ground personnel who may have seen or heard something that could help determine the cause of the accident.
Another important technique in aircraft accident investigations is the analysis of meteorological data. This can include analyzing data on wind speed, temperature, and other meteorological factors that may have affected the flight.
Finally, simulations and reconstructions can be used to recreate the circumstances leading up to the accident. This can help investigators understand the sequence of events that led to the accident and identify any potential problems or malfunctions that may have contributed to the accident.
Overall, the goal of aircraft accident investigation techniques is to determine the cause of the accident and identify any potential safety issues that need to be addressed. By using these techniques, investigators can help improve aviation safety and prevent similar accidents from occurring in the future.
Aircraft Accident Investigation Techniques
On the other hand, in a fix-the-system culture, analysis is in-depth and the question of liability does not surface until after system weaknesses have been determined. However, this change is mainly the result of aircraft modernisation since investigations techniques and methodologies require evolving concurrently with aircraft developments. Therefore regular discussions are necessitated between different investigation teams in order to collect and process all necessary data ICAO, n. You've just been notified of an injury in the workplace and immediately swing into action. Safety Science, Volume 48, Issue 8, October 2010, pp. It is an action carried out in order to determine the cause or causes of an accident or series of accidents so as to prevent further incidents. An accident investigation should adopt a systematic approach to identify the factors leading to the accident, and in addition, it should examine what improvements are needed in the work environment and in organisational procedures as well as clarifying the responsibilities of each participant.
Some jurisdictions provide guidance such as requiring that it must be conducted jointly, with both management and labour represented, or that the investigators must be knowledgeable about the work processes involved. Electronic circuitry then provides necessary wave shaping to reproduce the recorded patterns as shown in Figure 10. When selecting a suitable technique for accident investigation, there should be at least one person who has a good knowledge about the different accident investigation techniques suitable for use in their work environment, and who is able to choose the proper method for each case. Each method might have different purposes and may make their own contribution to the total investigation process. It also describes the use of some specific equipment, like UAVs and flight simulators, in the process, along with their benefits and limitations.
How has modern technology revolutionized aircraft accident investigation
What can investigators do to improve flight safety? Check the condition of injured worker s. Witnesses should be kept apart and interviewed as soon as possible after the accident. An investigation into an incident involving any aircraft or into an accident involving a small. Each function may be described by a simple table, which can then be used for further analysis. Remember that readers of your report do not have the intimate knowledge of the accident that you have so include all pertinent detail. The situation at the time of the accident is what is important, not what the "usual" conditions were.
LAS is currently working on hardware and a software program which will transfer all data recorded regardless of synchronization. Information technology is at the forefront of this improvement via more expedient modes of communications and an infinite amount of accessible information. But in the end, aircraft investigations remain a process of gathering factual evidence and analysing them to unfold the set of factors which participated in the cause of an aircraft accident. Advanced techniques Good examples of more complex and systematic accident investigation techniques are AcciMap, model STAMP model, MTO-analyses and FRAM method. Scientists use different methods of investigation in different circumstances. This Underwater Locator Beacon ULB is a miniature battery-powered acoustic transmitter which is activated by fresh or salt water and emits an intermittent signal of specific frequency.
On the other hand, the revolution of Information Technology has brought tremendous facilitation to aircraft accident investigators. This can be described as a resonance of the normal variability of functions, hence as functional resonance. Critical records of aircraft performance are invaluable in aircraft accident and incident investigation and help prevent recurrence in the future. Although traditional interviews of pilots are still highly exercised in investigations, they will always be far more subjective and incomplete than Flight Data Recorders which are able to record thousands of inputs in a chronological order. The system will read the 9-track computer-compatible tape, and extract and store selected portions on a disk. YouTube installe ces cookies pour mémoriser votre historique et vos préférences et pour optimiser la façon dont il met son contenu à votre disposition. This are underlying system weaknesses that indirectly produce the primary and secondary surface causes leading to an accident.
Was the machinery poorly designed? Its purpose is to explain accidents and provide safety recommendations. It merely tells who conducted the inspection, when it was done, who the victim was, its just a fill-in the blank portion. All unusual and deviant events and occurrences should be recognised and reported. Data Recovery Procedures As previously mentioned, foil-type FDR flight data readings are accomplished by optical readout. An aircraft is considered in distress when it is in a state that can, if the behaviour event is left uncorrected, result in an accident.
In this way, the AcciMap serves to identify relevant decision-makers and the normal work situation in which they influence and modulate possible accidents. Was regular maintenance of equipment carried out? After every incident and accident, we should decide what kind of safety measures, guiding, training and information will be needed in the workplace to prevent the same kind of incidents and who should deal with this information in the first place. Since resources time, manpower, information, etc. This article gives an overview of the best practices used in aviation occurrence investigation. During the investigation process, different methods should be used in order to analyse emerging problem areas. The aim of accident investigations should be to identify the event sequences and all causal factors influencing the accident scenario in order to be able to propose risk reducing measures which may prevent future accidents.
What caused it to fail? What was were the injured worker s doing at the time? The microscope has a magnification range of 35 to 200 and can accommodate a polaroid pack camera to photograph segments of the traces through the microscope. While a large variety of preventative measures have been employed, unfortunately, total prevention has not been possible. Such devices have been instrumental in locating the wreckage of a large aircraft, which crashed into the sea in an area with depths in excess of 10,000 feet. Evidence Gathering and Examination The stages of gathering evidence and their subsequent examination are very important for conducting an objective investigation. You have kept an open mind to all possibilities and looked for all pertinent facts. Pour en savoir plus sur les cookies et les données personnelles que nous utilisons, nous vous recommandons de lire notre Ces cookies permettent de mémoriser vos choix et vos préférences en matière de cookies et sont nécessaires au fonctionnement du site.
Aircraft Accident Investigation Techniques and Management
This step characterises each function separately but does not try to arrange or order them in any way. The third step is to analyse which technical, human or organisational barriers that have failed or were missing during the accident and illustrate all missing or failed barriers below the events as shown in the figure Figure 2. This is especially true for the positions of gauges and switches whose position can be unintentionally changed when moved away from the scene. An inquiry that answers these and related questions will probably reveal conditions that are more open to correction than attempts to prevent "carelessness". . Once you are knowledgeable about the work processes involved and the overall situation in your organization, it should not be too difficult to come up with realistic recommendations.