Aircraft accident reports: A corpus-based genre analysis

Abstract

Based on a corpus of ‘Aircraft Accident Reports’ (AARs) collected from the official website of The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), issued during the years 2000–2021, this study used Bhatia’s Critical Genre Analysis (CGA) framework to examine how this type of techno-professional discourse is recognized by considering the text, the genre, the professional practice, and the professional culture of the corpus. It was found that (1) textually, both Move2 collecting information, and Move3 Analyzing Information are the lengthiest moves within the corpus regarding the number of tokens, while Move1 Summarizing the Accident, Move4 Reaching Conclusion, Move5 Sharing Recommendations, and Move6 Board Member Statement are the shortest in length; (2) the generic move structure of the corpus contained six-move pattern (five of them are obligatory, and only one is optional), 11 steps, and 40 sub-steps; (3) the professional practice of the corpus is expressed through two types of discursive processes, they are: genre-mixing, and genre-embedding; and (4) the professional culture is presented through a set of professional values imbedded in the corpus, they are: embracing change and learn from mistakes, and maintaining objectivity and impartiality. The results of this study contribute in understanding the realization of professional discourse and expand the application of CGA in professional practices.