How will the plane crash investigation work where some 67 people died in Washington? Next, some things you should know.
A collision between a passenger plane from American Airlines and a military helicopter on Wednesday night near Washington, in which 67 people diedhe has once again focused on the federal agency in charge of investigating aviation disasters.
The president of the National Transport Security Board (NTSB), Jennifer Hommendy, described research as an “event that requires the mobilization of all available resources” of the agency, during a press conference on Thursday in which he appeared with other members of the department and with the person in charge of supervising the investigation.
Next, some things that you should know about the NTSB:
What is your work?
The NTSB is an independent federal agency responsible for investigating all civil aviation accidents, as well as serious incidents that occur in the country with other means of transport, such as railway disasters and large accidents with motorized vehicles, marine vessels, pipelines and even space operators commercial
“We are here to guarantee the American people that we will not leave a stone without lifting in this investigation,” said Hommendy, pointing out that the process is in their initial phase. “We are going to carry out an exhaustive investigation of all this tragedy, examining the facts.”
The agency has five members on its Board of Directors that serve in five -year mandates and are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate.
How will the investigation work?
For the investigation of the accident on Wednesday, the NTSB will establish several working groups and each will be in charge of different aspects related to the incident, explained Todd Inman, which is part of the Board.
According to Inman, these groups include operations, which will examine the flight history and the functions of crew members; structures, which will document the remains of the fuselage and the scene of the accident; Energy plants, which will focus on aircraft engines and engine accessories; systems, which will study the electrical, hydraulic and tire components of the two aircraft; air traffic control, which will review the surveillance information of the flight trajectory, including radar, and communications between controllers and pilots; Survival factors, which will analyze the injuries to the crew and passengers and the rescue operation, and a group of helicopters.
The investigation will also include a human performance group that will be part of the operations groups, air traffic control and helicopters and study the crew performance and any factor that may have influenced, such as human errors, including fatigue, medication, medical history, medical history , training and workload, added Inman.
How long will the investigation last?
NTSB officials did not say Thursday how long the investigation would take, but these processes usually take between one and two years to complete.
Normally, the agency makes public a preliminary report a few weeks after the incident that includes a summary of the information collected in the scene.
What is the history of the NTSB?
The NTSB dates back to 1926, when Congress approved a law that commissioned the Department of Commerce to investigate air accidents.
It was established as an independent agency within the transport department in 1967. In 1974, Congress was declared an organization completely independent of any other federal agency.
Since its creation in 1967, the agency maintains that it has investigated more than 153,000 accidents and aviation incidents.