OTTAWA — The crash of an airplane, anywhere in the world, launches an investigative process with standards for what evidence needs to be collected and who can be involved. Here's how it might work after the crash of a Ukrainian airliner flying from
Who is involved?
Under rules set out by the
The lead country can call in other outside experts to look more closely at the engines, the pilots and maintenance, among other areas, said
As well, the country suffering the most fatalities from the crash is usually invited to take part, said
The host country can also turn to
When a
What are the first steps in an investigation?
Investigators collect pieces of the plane, interview as many people as possible — including witnesses, air-traffic controllers and any survivors — and collect evidence, including any information from air-traffic control. They will also map the crash site to determine details about the impact.
Documents, too, are collected by other countries involved, including those related to pilot training and maintenance logs.
For instance, the
But he cautions about jumping to conclusions about what downed the plane: "You don't want to speculate. You want to be guided by the evidence."
What about the "black boxes"?
The flight data and voice recorders, commonly known as "black boxes" (even though they are orange), record the sounds of the pilots' voices, alarms and engines that could give investigators clues about what happened. The recorders also keep track of external factors, such as the weather.
Dunn said it can take days to find the recorders depending on the wreckage field, though Iranian authorities said they'd found the ones from the Ukrainian plane quickly.
Dunn said the recorders are sent to an independent authority, such as the
Others with noted reputations are the French and the Americans, but sending the recorders to the
But Dunn and others said it's likely the Iranian investigators will turn to outsiders for help.
Is there a role for
Transport Minister
What else might investigators do behind the scenes?
Parker said one thing investigators try to do is slow things down so no one gets hurt going to the scene of the crash and the scene is preserved. Slowing things down is critical because of the clamour from the public and politicians after a high-profile crash, she said.
"Everyone would like answers right away. I know they're not going to get them," Parker said, putting herself in the position of an investigator beginning work.
"The politicians are saying what they're saying because this isn't their area of expertise. I know they're going to say things that are not going to be accurate and so I'm going to set up briefings for them, I'm going to set up briefings for the media."
How long do investigations take?
It could be weeks, months or years before the details of what brought down the plane are learned, if they are learned at all. Normally, though, a final report is expected after two years.
"Aviation is a complex system and complex systems do not fail because of one thing," Parker said.
Adjekum noted that if the plane came down for nefarious reasons, such as sabotage or a bomb, then a criminal investigation would begin with prosecutors and other law enforcement involved.
The investigation of the
This report by
© 2020 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved., source