The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent U.S. federal agency responsible for investigating civil transportation accidents. This includes aviation, highway, marine, pipeline, and railroad incidents.
Key Functions of the NTSB:
- Investigations: Determines the probable causes of transportation accidents.
- Safety Recommendations: Issues recommendations to prevent future accidents.
- Safety Advocacy: Promotes transportation safety improvements.
- Assistance to Victims: Provides support and resources to families affected by transportation accidents.
- Data Analysis & Research: Analyzes accident trends and develops safety reports.
The NTSB does not have regulatory or enforcement authority; instead, it makes recommendations to agencies like the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and DOT (Department of Transportation).
If you are involved in an accident, the National Transportation Safety Board, (NTSB) will get involved.
Accident
An accident is any time a person suffers death or serious injury, or if there is substantial damage to the aircraft, regardless of whether the occupants were injured.
Structural damage to an aircraft alone is classed as an accident, and the NTSB has to be notified immediately about any accident.
Incident
The NTSB may also get involved and needs to be notified if there is a listed incident. An incident is something that affects or could affect safe operations, but is not classified as an accident. Listed incidents include:
- An overdue aircraft believed to be involved in an accident,
- An in-flight fire,
- Flight control system malfunction or failure.
- A crew member who gets ill on the aircraft and cannot perform their functions.
- Separation or release of all or a portion of a propeller blade in flight is also a listed incident.
For example, if a blade cracks and a portion of the blade or all of the blade departs the airplane, that in-flight separation is a reportable incident to the NTSB.
If the blade cracks and gets separated because of a ground strike, because for instance you taxi into a hole and the propeller hits the ground, that does not need to be reported. It’s just in-flight separations or releases that need to be reported. - Greater than 50% loss of electronic displays. For example in G1000, if you lose information from more than 50% of the electronic displays. This is a reportable incident. (If you have not totally lost the information, but you’ve got flickering of the displays going on, that does not need to be reported unless the flickering is so bad that the display is just unusable.)
- Failure of any internal turbine engine component. Component such as compressor blades that cause debris to escape from the engine, other than out the exhaust. But if the debris comes out through the side of the engine, penetrates the cowling, even though it does not impact any other part of the aircraft, that would be an uncontained failure. And that failure of the turbine engine component would be a reportable incident.
- If you have an airborne collision avoidance system, or ACAS, (or TCAS), if you receive an advisory that you need to comply with to avoid a substantial risk of collision with another aircraft and you are operating on an instrument flight plan, you must report this immediately to the NTSB.
Reporting
In addition to giving immediate notification for an accident or incident, you may have to submit a report to the NTSB within ten days.
- You only have to submit a report if the NTSB requests it.
- Don’t volunteer to provide a report.
Care of the wreckage / NTSB Actions
The NTSB is they’re going to take control / custody, of the aircraft wreckage.
Before the NTSB take custody of the wreckage, the wreckage may be moved.
The only purpose for moving it must be to protect that wreckage from further damage.
Mostly what you would be protecting would be cargo, mail, things like that. But the wreckage may be moved if it is in danger of being damaged by the elements.