Mishap Site Communication Support

The Naval Aviation Safety Program's objective is to prevent mishaps by identifying and eliminating hazards before they cause injury or damage.

A mishap is a failure of prevention and invokes the Program's secondary response, an investigation to find the hazards which precipitated the mishap and to recommend remedy to prevent recurrence.

The essence of an Aircraft Mishap Board's safety investigation is: evidence gathering, deliberation on the evidence, determining cause and remedy. The underlying process is logical and familiar: observation, synthesis, conclusion.

The purpose of this guide is to aid a prospective Senior Member by discussing activities surrounding a worst-case mishap (strike damage with fatality). Widely differing circumstances in each mishap preclude assigning a one-size-fits-all solution. This is not a checklist; it is a primer which discusses collateral tasks, topics and problems a senior member may encounter. It provides method and traffic directions for those who have not traveled this way before.

In principle, a senior member needs only an inquiring mind and penchants for small-group leadership and project management.

This guide was prepared by the Naval Safety Center's Aircraft Mishap Investigation Division. Recommendations for improvement to the guide are invited.

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