Chapter 18 - The Accident Investigator’s Perspective

Abstract

Accident investigation has played a significant role in the development and adoption of CRM in the aviation industry. The accident investigator’s perspective is mostly one of hindsight following a major event with adverse outcomes, of identifying the causal factors, and knowing that there is always room for improvement when it comes to human lives. This chapter highlights aspects of CRM that continue to play a role in aviation accidents, providing operational examples of how the principles of CRM, when not properly applied, can manifest themselves as accident-provoking conditions. Although the scope of this chapter is limited to the aviation industry, and focuses on flight crews, these principles apply equally to other industries, especially other modes of transportation and high reliability organizations operating in high risk environments.