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PART II

The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) requires states to have independent bodies to investigate aircraft accidents, owing to a potential conflict of interest since the civil aviation authorities (CAAs), as the safety regulators, are part of the safety chain.

ICAO requires accident-investigation authorities to be strictly objective and impartial in order to identify all underlying systemic causes and contributing factors of the accident. Aircraft accident-investigation bodies should be established so that they can withstand political or other undue interference. In most states, the accident-investigation authorities report directly to the national parliament or to a minister of government.

In the US, all aircraft accidents are investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB); in Canada by the Transportation Safety Board (TSB); in the United Kingdom by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB); and in Australia by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB).

However, some CAAs, particularly in less developed countries, still lead aircraft-accident investigations.

Accident investigations have contributed to significant progress in aviation safety over four eras of activity.

In the “technical” era, from the early 1900s until the late 1960s, safety deficiencies were initially related to technical factors and technological failures. The focus of safety initiatives was placed on investigating and improving technical factors such as aircraft and engine designs. By the 1950s, technological improvements had led to a gradual decline in the frequency of accidents, and safety processes were broadened to encompass regulatory compliance and safety oversight.

In the “human factors” era in the 1970s, the frequency of aviation accidents had significantly declined, thanks to major technological advances and enhancements of safety regulations. Aviation became a safer mode of transport, and the focus of safety efforts was extended to include human factors, including such things as the “man/machine interface."

Despite the investment of resources in error mitigation, human factors continued to be cited as a recurring factor in accidents. Human factors focused on the individual, without fully considering the operational and organisational context.

It was not until the early 1990s that it was acknowledged that individuals operate in a complex environment that includes multiple factors which could affect their behaviour.

[caption id="attachment_982699" align="alignnone" width="1024"] In this file photo, Ethiopian relatives of some of the crash victims light candles and gather at an anniversary memorial service at the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, March 8, 2020, to remember those who died when Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302, a Boeing 737 Max, crashed shortly after takeoff on March 10, 2019, killing all 157 on board. - A