Accident and Incident Investigation
Legal basis
Annex 13 and the Civil Aviation Act govern investigation in Pakistan. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Board investigates accidents and serious incidents independently of PCAA. The sole objective is prevention; the investigation is not to apportion blame or liability.
Definitions and process
- Accident: an occurrence with a person seriously injured or killed, the aircraft substantially damaged, or the aircraft missing or inaccessible.
- Incident: an occurrence affecting safety that is not an accident; a serious incident is one with a high probability of an accident.
- The State of Occurrence notifies ICAO and the States of registry, operator, design and manufacture, which may appoint accredited representatives.
- The investigator-in-charge controls the investigation; CVR and FDR records are protected.
- A preliminary report is due within 30 days; the final report is normally within 12 months, with safety recommendations issued as needed.
Worked example
An aircraft suffers a tail strike on landing with no injuries and damage below the substantial-damage threshold. This is an incident, not an accident. It is still reportable and investigated proportionately, but it does not trigger the full Annex 13 accident process.
Traps
Substantial damage is not any damage; the State of Registry and the State of Occurrence have different roles; and a safety recommendation is not a finding of legal liability.