Curious Case of Pool of Volunteer Members of the Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigators

“If you think that air safety is expensive, try an accident” Jerome Lederer (President, Flight Safety Foundation)

On March 18, 2023, seven volunteer members were appointed to a pool of aircraft accident and incident investigators with a cross section of wide experience in the industry, by Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Aviation, after a transparent process of selection. The primary intention was to form an Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) independent from the regulator, CAASL (Civil Aviation Authority Sri Lanka), as recommended by Annex 13 to Chicago Convention of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

Sadly, although more than 17 months have lapsed, no real progress has been made. There isn’t even a central office where meetings could be held. It is now quite obvious that only ‘lip service’ has been paid to conform to the maintenance of ICAO Standards and Recommended Procedures (SARPs). Simply put, it’s been an ‘eyewash’ exercise to placate concerned parties.

According to the ICAO SARPs, an AAIB should not only investigate after an accident or incident, but recommend predictive, proactive and preventive actions. For a project such as this, there must be access to, or establish and maintain at a central location, a database of large and small accidents/incidents over the years from all over the world. This has yet to be done.

There must be regular meetings to fine-tune and update the investigative techniques of air accident investigation due to acts of omission and commission of the regulator. But there is little or no support from the aviation authorities toward that objective.

This, we believe, is because the CAASL does not want to relinquish the task of accident/incident investigation which is currently being conducted in-house. By not doing so, a conflict of interests is created. The more experienced, able and independent accident/incident investigators are, in most circumstances, ignored, bypassed or sidelined. In addition, there are two members of the so-called ‘independent’ pool who are also regular employees of the CAASL. This lack of impartiality is totally unsatisfactory and detrimental to air safety. True independence is an essential element of checks and balances in any crucial industry.

It must be also noted that prospective members of the AAIB are working with no retainer whatsoever.

In current circumstances, the appointment of a so-called “independent” and experienced pool of accident/incident investigators, only in name, is an absolute farce and serves no purpose as they will be under the influence of CAASL.

GUWAN TIKKA