The quality of an aircraft accident reconstruction report plays a critical role in determining whether the investigation is successful in enhancing aircraft travel safety. However, these reconstructions require analysis of complex sets of data and situations where the available data can be vague, incomplete and misleading. Despite its importance, complexity, and reliance on investigators' judgments, analysis has been a neglected area in terms of standards, guidance and training of investigators in most organizations that conduct safety investigations.
To address this situation, Crashteams AVIATION developed a comprehensive investigation analysis framework. This provides results which answer the important issues for a particular incident, but also provide valuable insights to the standards of the industry going forward.
Crashteams AVIATION believes that its investigation analysis procedure is well suited to its role as an independent, arms length safety investigation entity. We are committed to contributing to air travel safety by reporting key issues which relate to an ongoing evolution of preventive maintenance standards, training and aircraft manufacturing.
The following brief descriptions illustrate how diverse the causations can be and how important it becomes to have a wide range of investigation expertise to reach the conclusions that are demanded by interested parties
11/23/1996 |
Ethiopian
Airlines |
Off Moroni, Comoros |
The aircraft was hijacked shortly after taking off from Ethiopia by three drunken escaped prisoners. They demanded to be flown to Australia, but wouldn't let the pilot stop to refuel. The plane eventually ran out of fuel and ditched 500 feet offshore killing 127 of 157 aboard. |
04/15/1997 |
Azerbaijan
Airlines |
Gyandzha, Azerbaijan |
A stray bullet from training soldiers struck the landing plane, hitting an oxygen cylinder. A fire broke out and control of the plane was lost and it crashed. |
07/23/1999 |
All
Nippon Airways |
Tokyo, Japan |
Two minutes after taking off a man carrying a knife forced a flight attendant to take him in the cockpit of the plane. A fan of computer flight-simulation games, he stated he just wanted to fly a real plane. After forcing the co-pilot out of the cockpit he ordered the captain to fly to a U.S. Air Force base in western Tokyo. When he refused, he stabbed the captain and seized the controls. After a sudden drop in altitude, the co-pilot and an off duty crew member entered the cockpit and overpowered the hijacker. A one point the plane plunged to within 984 feet of the ground. The plane ultimately landed safely but the captain died of his injuries. |
05/25/2000 |
Philippine
Air Lines |
Near Manila, Philippines |
A hijacker robbed passengers, jumped out of the plane with a homemade parachute and was killed in the jump. |
08/24/2001 |
Canadian
Air Transat |
Terceira, Azores |
The Airbus 330, without engine power, glided for almost 20 minutes, descending from for more than 30,000 ft. before landing safely at Lajes Airport. Several tires blew out causing a fire which was quickly extinguished by emergency crews. The leak was caused by a damaged fuel feed pipe that was caused by interference from the aft hydraulic pump which was improperly installed. No one was seriously injured. |
08/27/2006 |
Comair |
Lexington, Kentucky |
The plane took off from the wrong runway that was too short. The aircraft ran off the end of the runway and crashed killing 49 of the 50 aboard. |
Cause |
1950s |
1960s |
1970s |
1980s |
1990s |
2000s |
All |
Pilot Error |
41 |
37 |
29 |
30 |
31 |
30 |
33 |
Pilot Error (weather related) |
11 |
17 |
15 |
16 |
19 |
19 |
16 |
Pilot Error (mechanical related) |
7 |
3 |
4 |
4 |
6 |
3 |
4 |
Total Pilot Error |
59 |
57 |
48 |
50 |
56 |
52 |
53 |
Other Human Error |
4 |
7 |
10 |
6 |
7 |
9 |
7 |
Weather |
14 |
11 |
10 |
12 |
9 |
8 |
11 |
Mechanical Failure |
20 |
19 |
21 |
21 |
21 |
25 |
21 |
Sabotage |
3 |
4 |
9 |
10 |
7 |
6 |
7 |
Other Cause |
0 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
Specialized Aviation Reconstruction Experts
Crashteams AVIATION experts bring decades of industry experience along with expert witness credentials to provide a reliable investigation team.
Litigation involving plane related incidents requires specialized knowledge. Our experts have experience, and detailed knowledge of the physics of plane related collisions.
To reconstruct and understand the forces, and relevant factors at play in a plane incident you need specialized knowledge. That is why Crashteams has specialized aviation experts to provide the knowledge required for an accurate and professional reconstruction.
Our ServicesOur Crashteams reconstructionists are the most highly trained and qualified individuals in the industry.
All Crashteams experts utilize survey equipment to produce precision crash scene diagrams and 3D models.
All Crashteams reconstructionists are qualified expert witnesses and have given testimony at all court levels and jurisdictions.
Your Crashteams experts can interview witnesses and secure detailed statements, as recorded interviews in audio and video formats.
Crashteams experts are all trained and certified as forensic animators. You will find it advantageous that your reconstructionist and animator are the same person.
Crashteams experts are qualified to use many different software applications to simulate the crash for the purposes of answering what if scenarios and exposing errors in the hypotheses advanced by opposing experts.
You may send us reports from opposing experts and we will be able to tell you immediately if a rebuttal is useful and if so, we produce professional, objective, commentaries.
Crashteams have the expertise coverage and manpower to take on all the crash investigation requirements of a community as a public private partnership.