What happens during the first 48 hours of an aviation mishap?
At an appropriate time, the Naval Safety Center investigator meets with the aviation mishap board (AMB) and briefs them on the process and procedures of aircraft mishap investigations. The first 24 hours is primarily spent at the crash site looking over the wreckage for pre-existing conditions and evaluating the terrain. Concurrently, witnesses are identified and/or interviewed. Video, radar, and voice tapes are located and reviewed and aircraft logbooks and records are obtained. The investigator may request the on-scene presence of a factory and/or depot investigator/engineer for assistance.
