by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 5:30 PM ET, Mon June 5, 2023
Governments around the world are consistently failing to file investigation reports in a timely manner after aviation accidents take place.
New data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) shows that only 96 of the 214 accident investigations that occurred between 2018 and 2022 actually conformed with the requirements of the Convention of International Civil Aviation (or Chicago Convention).
Worse still, just 31 reports were published in less than one year of the accident, with the majority of accident investigation reports (58) taking between one to three years to be released for review.
In addition to the fact that final reports regularly take more than a year, interim statements often provide little more than what was presented in the preliminary report, IATA said.
“The accident investigation process is one of our most important learning tools when building global safety standards. But to learn from an accident, we need reports that are complete, accessible and timely,” Willie Walsh, IATA’s director general, said in a statement released with the new data.
The organization is now calling on governments to do better and live up to longstanding international treaty obligations, such as the Chicago Convention, which require publishing timely and thorough aviation accident reports.
“Failure to publish prompt and complete accident investigation reports deprives operators, equipment manufacturers, regulators, infrastructure providers and other concerned stakeholders of critical information that could make flying even safer,” says the IATA statement.
What Are the Chicago Convention Requirements?
The requirements of the Chicago Convention Annex 13 state that those in charge of an accident investigation must:
- Submit a preliminary report to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) within 30 days of the accident
- Publish the final report, that is publicly available, as soon as possible and within 12 months of the accident
- Publish interim statements annually should a final report not be possible within 12 months.
“Over the past five years, fewer than half of the required accident reports meet the standards for thoroughness and timeliness. This is an inexcusable violation of requirements stated clearly in the Chicago Convention,” Walsh added. “As an industry we must raise our voice to governments in defense of the accident investigation process enshrined in Annex 13. And we count on ICAO to remind states that the publication of a complete accident report is not optional, it is an obligation under Annex 13 of the Chicago Convention.”
IATA also recently issued a call for governments around the world to step up their support and issue mandates regarding the development of sustainable aviation fuels.
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