This introductory course is designed to train investigators and applicable support personnel in National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations, accident reporting forms, and effective management of resources involved in an aircraft accident. Participants will learn fundamental techniques and procedures of field investigations of accidents and incidents. This course is considered vital for flight safety officers and managers, field inspectors, and investigators who may be called to provide assistance in an aircraft accident investigation as a party participant.
The course will examine operational, airworthiness, crashworthiness, human factors, aircraft performance, specific design deficiencies, and lessons learned from accidents. Subject areas include accident photography, witness interviewing, investigator safety, powerplant and fire investigations, structures and metallurgy considerations, composite materials, maintenance-related accidents, weather-related accidents and an introduction to helicopter investigations. The course involves a field trip to the TSI laboratory to investigate and evaluate approximately ten aircraft wreckage sites.