ICAO CIRCULAR 62 PDF

FOREWORD

Accident mvestigation is recognized today as one of the fundamental elements of improved safety and accident prevention. Nearly every accident contains evidence which, if correctly identified andassessed, will allow the cause to be ascertained so that corrective action can be undertaken to prevent further accidents from similar causes. Thus, the ultimate object of accident investigztionand reporting, which is to permit the comparison of many accident reports and to observe what cause factors tendto recur, can be accomplished. These factors can thenbe clearly identified and brought to the attention of the responsible authorities.

The Accldent Investigation Division of the Air Navigation Committee of PICAO* at its first session in 1946 recommended that States forward copies of reports of aircraft accident investigations and inquiries, and aeronautical publications and documents relating to research and development v;ork in the field of aircraft accident investigation, to PICAO in order that the Secretariat might appraise the mfor mation gained and disseminate the knowledge to Contracting States.

The world-wide collection by ICAO of accident reports and aeronautical publrcabons and documents relating to research and development work in the field of aircraft accident investigation, and publication of the material in condensed form, assists States and aeronautical organizations in research work in this field. By stimulating and maintaining continuity of interest in this problem the dia se mination to individuals actively engaged in aviation of information on the actual circumstances leading up to the accidents and of recommendations for accident prevention also contributes to the reduction of accidents.

The first summary of accident reports and safety material received from States was issued in October 1946 (List No. 1 Doc 2177, A I G / ~ ~un)d er the title of "Consolidated List of publications and documents relating to Aircraft Accident Investigation Reports and Procedures, Practices, Research and Development Work in the field of Aircraft Accident Investigation received by the PICAO Secretariat from Contracting States". This was followed by further summaries at regular intervals, the last report being issued on 31 July 1950 (List No. 12, Doc 7026, ~1G/513). These summary reports were found to be of considerable technical interest to States, and in view oi the large number of requests for copies, itwas decided, early i n 1951, to revise the method of publication and to produce the material in the future in the form of an information circular entitled "Aircraft Accident Digest".

The first Digest was issued in 1951 under the present title and with the new method of presentation. Since then, the usefulness of the series has continued to elicit favourable comment from the aeronautical world. It is hoped that States will co-operate to the fullest extent permitted by their national laws in the submission of material for inclusion in future issues of this Digest. It is recognized that investigations take a diversity of forms under the variety of constitutional and juridical systems that exist throughout the membership of ICAO and that, for this reason, accident investigation presents one of the most difficult problems of standardization m international civil aviation. At the same time it is a most fruitful source of material for the attainment of the objectives of the Chicago Convention.

The usefulness of such a publication as this is directly proportional to the thoroughness with which accidents are investigated, the frankness and impartiality of the findings, and the readiness withwhich they are disclosed and authorized to be published. It is in this way only that this most fertile field for international cooperation can be effectively exploited. The measure of interest that this publication has aroused, and the vital information it imparts amply demonstrate the possibilities of ultimate achievement when every accident is investigated with the greatest thoroughness and the findings disclosed with complete frankness.

Restriction upon reproduction in the Digest seriously impairs, of course, the usefulness of any reports, as it is only by comparison between the circumstances that occasioned the accident and the circumstances of other ope rations that potentially hazardous circumstances can be foreseen and avoided. Names of per sons involved may, however, be omitted without detracting f r - m the value of the report.

Follow-up action and other supplementary information or comments on an accident report by the State of Registry or State of Occurrence provide useful material for inclusion in the Digest. An example of such action is Summary No. 1 (TWA accident of February 1955 on Mount Sandia, New Mexico). The report was first released in Digest No. 7, then as a result offurther studies it was revisedinDigest No. 8. There have been still further developments since that revision, and a supplement was released in 1960 which appears at Summary No. 1 of this edition of the Digest.

Whenever possible, photos and diagrams have been obtained for illustration purposes inorder to give a clearer overall picture of the crash area, an idea of the probable flight paths of aircraft, the location of witnesses to the crash, and in general to make the reports more interesting to the reader. This edition contains approximately seventeen pages of such illustrations. Part I1 of this issue dealing with Aircraft Accident Statistics has been based on material derived from the Air Transport Reporting Forms G submitted by States and other sources. (For further review of material included refer to the Introduction, page 237).

Part I11 refers to the general subject "Hazards of the Wake". It lncludes recent excerpts from Flight Safety Foundation Bulletins as well as a brief reference list of other known sources of information regarding this subject.

Part IV is the most recent list of laws and regulations available relating to aircraft accident investigation, incorporating all amendments received by ICAO up to 31 December 1960.

The material for this Digest has been obtained from various sources, is printed for information only and does not necessarily reflect the views of the International Civil Aviation Organization.