Accident Investigation

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Each NTSB investigation poses unique problems for the parties involved.  Like a key entering a lock, each move a company makes needs to be just the right fit.  Nevertheless, in our collective 100+ years of experience guiding companies through the investigation process, we have found the list below to encompass the master keys.  They are, quite simply, the “Do’s and Don’ts.”.… Read More

On March 9, 2020, the Interim Investigation Report (“Report”) into the March 10, 2019, crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, a Boeing 737-8 (MAX) was issued.  The Ethiopian Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau’s (“Bureau”)138 page Report devotes approximately two pages to a description of the pilot’s/copilot’s experience, hours, etc., and one page to Ethiopian Airlines training program.  There is virtually no analysis anywhere in the 138 pages of the crew’s performance. … Read More

Politico recently published the results of its investigation of the gaps in government agencies’ legal authorities to investigate space tourism accidents and impose safety protections for space launch participants. Politico’s article detailing the results of its investigation is comprehensive and sobering (A “Wild Environment’: Uncertain safety rules await space tourists,” December 25, 2019, https://www.politico.com/news/2019/12/25/space-tourists-safety-rules-089681). There is one particular aspect of the article, however, that calls for clarification – the authority of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to investigate commercial space law accidents.… Read More

In a recent post, we discussed the Safe Landings Act (H.R. 4166), pending legislation introduced in August of this year. In this post, we discuss another piece of pending legislation – the Safe and Quiet Skies Act of 2019.

The Safe and Quiet Skies Act of 2019 (H.R. 4547) was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on September 27, 2019, by Representative Ed Case of Hawaii’s First Congressional District (located entirely on the Island of Oahu, including the City and County of Honolulu).… Read More

With the enactment of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 in October of last year, Congress, to a large extent, has taken a breather from introducing aviation legislation.  Two recent bills, however, address key aviation safety issues and merit examination – the Safe Landings Act and the Safe and Quiet Skies Act of 2019.  We discuss the Safe Landings Act in this post and will address the Safe and Quiet Skies Act of 2019 in a following post.… Read More

On March 6, Representative Garret Graves of Louisiana introduced H.R. 1562, the Commercial Space Transportation Safety Act of 2019.  The bill’s text, which became available only recently, indicates that its main purpose is “to provide certain authority to the National Transportation Safety Board to investigate commercial space transportation accidents.” … Read More