ABSTRACT
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) states that an aircraft accident is an occurrence which takes place between the time any person boards the aircraft with the intention of flight, until such time that all such persons have disembarked, in which a person is fatally or seriously injured, the aircraft incurs damage or structural failure, or the aircraft is missing or is completely inaccessible. Excluded from this definition are deaths from natural causes, selfinflicted injuries, injuries inflicted by other people and injuries to stowaways hiding outside the areas normally occupied by the passengers or crew. Once an accident has occurred, an accident investigation board should be convened. The membership of such a board may differ and the procedures adopted will vary depending on the nature of the accident and the investigating authority concerned, but the ultimate objectives will inevitably be the same. When an accident occurs, accident investigations have to consider all aspects of the crash, but two issues are central. The first is the cause
of the accident and is crucial to preventing similar accidents recurring. The second concerns the consequences of the accident and specifically, from an aviation medicine perspective, the injuries sustained by the aircraft’s occupants. The objectives of the investigation should be the prevention of accidents and incidents and not to apportion blame or liability.
