What is the Aviation Accident Investigation Procedure?

Nearly every aviation accident investigation is conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board, which often forks in conjunction with the Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration.  The NTSB is largely responsible for the investigation but does not participate in the regulatory process and has no enforcement powers.  The NTSB focuses on improving airline safety by scrutinizing the findings of every aviation accident investigation it conducts. 

The primary NTSB team that conducts the investigation is called the “Go Team” and the goal of this first-responder team is to get to the scene of an aviation accident as soon as possible.  In charge of the investigative process is the Investigator-in-Charge (“IIC”) of the “Go Team”, a senior investigator with extensive aviation industry and NTSB experience. Each investigator is a specialist responsible for a clearly defined portion of the accident investigation. In aviation, these specialties and their responsibilities are: In the process of the investigation, highly specialized sand trained individuals come together to solve the often complex issues that determine the cause of an accident.