How we work
Published 7 June 2018
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How we investigate
One of the first questions that any member of the AAIB is asked - is how do you investigate an aircraft accident? Discover more about our investigation process.
Our publications
When our investigations are complete, we publish our findings. Find out more about the publications we produce.
How we use drones at air accident sites
Aerial images are very useful for accident investigation. Read how we can use drones to take measurements up to an accuracy of 1 cm from a height of 40 m.
Getting to the bottom of aircraft accidents
An aircraft wreckage and its flight data and cockpit voice recorders often provide vital clues to help us piece together the jigsaw of an accident, but if nobody witnesses an aircraft going missing in water, how do we find it?
Safety Recommendations
As part of our investigations, we make Safety Recommendations. These are addressed to regulatory authorities, manufacturers, operators, maintainers, government or others with the intention to improve aviation safety by preventing similar accidents from happening again.
How we investigate Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) accidents and incidents
The AAIB started investigating accidents to Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in 2015. Read more about our investigations.
How we investigate Serious Incidents
Accidents involving Commercial Air Transport continue to be rare with non-fatal runway excursions, ground collisions and tail-strikes being the most common types of occurrences in the UK and globally.
This article explains the importance of investigating Serious Incidents and why they are often a valuable opportunity to identify safety issues before they become manifest in an accident. Read more about 30 years of investigating Serious Incidents - the AAIB’s perspective