What role does a flight surgeon take on?
A flight surgeon is present for every aviation mishap investigation. The surgeon performs analysis of the causal factors of the injuries and determines any possible human factors (such as change in op-tempo, medical condition, physiological and psychological state), which could have contributed to the crash. If there is fatality, an autopsy shall be performed. The flight surgeon coordinates with the Armed Forces Medical Examiners Office to perform the examination to determine cause of injury and death in order to identify methods of reducing injuries or death in future mishaps. The American Forces Institute of Pathology may perform DNA testing for positive identification purposes in some cases.
