About Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau:
- It is a government agency established in 2012 within the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
- Its primary responsibility is to investigate aircraft accidents and serious incidents in India’s airspace. The purpose is to determine how the accident happened and recommend safety improvements, not to assign blame or punish people.
- Before AAIB, such investigations were handled by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which also regulated airlines.
- Mandate
- It is responsible for classification of ‘Safety Occurrences’ involving aircraft operating in the Indian Airspace into Accidents, Serious Incidents and Incidents.
- All Accidents and Serious Incidents involving aircraft with AUW more than 2250 Kgs or Turbojet aircraft are investigated by AAIB.
- AAIB may investigate serious incidents or incidents to aircraft apart from the ones mentioned above, if it appears expedient to hold an investigation into the circumstances of such serious incident or incident.
- As per the Rule 3 of Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017 the sole objective of the investigations carried out by AAIB is prevention of accidents and incidents and not to apportion blame or liability.
- Key functions:
- Investigate all aircraft accidents and serious incidents in Indian airspace
- Collect evidence (black boxes, flight data, witness statements)
- Analyze causes and issue safety recommendations
- Publish final reports for global aviation authorities
- After completion of Investigation and acceptance of the same by the Director General, AAIB, the Investigation Reports are made public and published by AAIB on its website.
- The accepted ‘Final Investigation Reports’ are also forwarded to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the States participating in the investigation.
