4 · National Provisions – Definition of "Accident"
i Accident – Definition
An
occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft which:
- (i) Manned aircraft – takes place between the time any person boards
the aircraft with the intention of flight until such time as all such persons have
disembarked; OR
- (ii) Unmanned aircraft – takes place between the time the aircraft is
ready to move with the purpose of flight until such time as it comes to rest
at the end of the flight and the primary propulsion system is shut down.
In which any of the following conditions (a), (b) or (c) applies:
4.1 · Conditions that Constitute an Accident
(a) A person is fatally or seriously injured as a result of:
- Being in the aircraft, or
- Direct contact with any part of the aircraft, including parts which have become detached from the aircraft, or
- Direct exposure to jet blast,
✕ EXCEPT — Not Counted as Accident Injury
Except when the injuries are from:
- Natural causes
- Self-inflicted
- Inflicted by other persons
- When injuries are to stowaways hiding outside the areas normally available to passengers and crew
(b) The aircraft sustains damage or structural failure which:
- Adversely affects the structural strength, performance or flight characteristics of the aircraft, AND
✓ EXCEPT — Damage NOT Constituting an Accident
Damage is
NOT classified as an accident when limited to:
- Failure of engine or damage limited to a single engine (including its cowlings or accessories)
- Propellers, wing tips, antennas, probes, vanes
- Tires, brakes, wheels
- Fairings, panels, landing gear doors
- Windscreens, the aircraft skin (small dents or puncture holes)
- Minor damage to main rotor blades, tail rotor blades, landing gear
- Damage from hail or bird strike (including holes in the radome)
(c) The aircraft is missing or is completely inaccessible.
! Critical Definitions
- "Fatally injured" — means an injury resulting in death within 30 days of the date of the accident.
- "Aircraft is missing" — means the wreckage of the aircraft has not been located when the official search has been terminated.
4.2 · Visual: Accident Classification Flow
flowchart TD
A[Occurrence with Aircraft Operation] --> B{Manned or Unmanned?}
B -->|Manned| C[Between boarding & disembarking?]
B -->|Unmanned| D[Between ready-to-move & engine shutdown?]
C -->|No| X[Not an Accident]
D -->|No| X
C -->|Yes| E{Any condition met?}
D -->|Yes| E
E --> F[a Person fatally/seriously injured]
E --> G[b Aircraft damaged/structural failure]
E --> H[c Aircraft missing or inaccessible]
F --> Y{Excluded cause? natural/self/other/stowaway}
Y -->|Yes| X
Y -->|No| Z[ACCIDENT]
G --> W{Damage limited to listed exceptions?}
W -->|Yes| X
W -->|No| Z
H --> Z
style Z fill:#fdecec,stroke:#d93025,stroke-width:3px,color:#a3160c
style X fill:#e6f6ec,stroke:#1b8a3a,color:#0f5f27
Decision flow — Is the occurrence an "Accident"?
8 · Definition of "Significant Incident"
i Significant Incident – Definition
An incident involving circumstances indicating that an
accident or a serious incident
could have occurred, if the
risk had not been managed within safety margins.
! Memory Aid
Think of it as a
"near-near-miss": it would have escalated into an accident or
serious incident, but timely risk management kept it within safe limits.
8.1 · Hierarchy of Occurrences (Severity Scale)
flowchart LR
A[Incident
Lowest severity] --> B[Significant Incident
Could have escalated]
B --> C[Serious Incident
High probability of accident]
C --> D[Accident
Highest severity]
style A fill:#e7f0ff,stroke:#1f6feb,color:#0b3d91
style B fill:#fff6e0,stroke:#d98e00,color:#7a4d00
style C fill:#ffe1de,stroke:#d93025,color:#a3160c
style D fill:#fdecec,stroke:#8b0000,color:#5a0000,stroke-width:3px
Occurrence severity ladder — increasing left to right
10 · Reporting Procedures (including In-Flight Procedures)
The following are the procedures to be followed by a pilot who is or has been involved
in an incident:
a During Flight
Use the appropriate
air/ground frequency for reporting an incident of
major
significance, particularly if it involves other aircraft, so as to
permit the
facts to be ascertained immediately.
b After Landing
As promptly as possible after landing, and in any case
within
24 hours, submit a completed
Air Traffic Incident
Report Form by the quickest means available to:
- Director General of Civil Aviation
(Attn: Director Air Safety, HQ)
- With a copy to: Executive Director (ATM), Airports Authority of India,
Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan, Safdarjung Airport, New Delhi – 110003.
This submission is required:
- i) For confirming a report of an incident made initially by radio, or for making the initial report on such an incident if it had not been possible to report it by radio;
- ii) For reporting an incident which did not require immediate notification at the time of occurrence.
10.1 · Information in an Initial Radio Report
i Initial Report by Radio – Contents
An initial report made by radio should contain the following information:
- Aircraft identification
- Type of incident — e.g. aircraft proximity
- The incident — give information as laid down in the Air Traffic Incident Report Form
- Miscellaneous
10.2 · Reporting Timeline
⏱ T = 0 (During flight)
Use air/ground frequency to report incident of major significance — facts ascertained immediately.
🛬 As soon as practicable after landing
Begin compiling the Air Traffic Incident Report Form.
⏰ Within 24 hours (maximum)
Submit completed Air Traffic Incident Report Form to DGCA (Attn: Dir. Air Safety, HQ) with copy to ED (ATM), AAI.
12 · Notification of Accident / Incident
! Mandatory Notification – By PIC
Where an accident or incident occurs to an aircraft, the following persons (in order of
responsibility) shall give notice:
- The Pilot-in-Command (PIC) of the aircraft; or
- If the PIC is killed or incapacitated, then:
- The Owner,
- The Operator,
- The Hirer, or other person on whose behalf he was in command, or
- Any relevant person, as the case may be.
Notice shall be given
as soon as is reasonably practicable, but
in any case NOT LATER THAN 24 HOURS after he becomes
aware of the accident or incident.
12.1 · Who must be Notified by the PIC
- a
Send notice to the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and the
Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) — by the
quickest means of communication available; AND
- b
In the case of an accident or incident occurring in India, give information to:
- The District Magistrate (DM), AND
- The Officer-in-Charge (O-i-C) of the nearest Police Station of the
accident or incident and of the place where it occurred.
12.2 · Additional Notification to AAIB
✓ Notification Shall ALSO be Submitted to AAIB by
- (a) Aerodrome operator
- (b) Air Traffic Services in-charge concerned
- (c) DG, CA — wherever applicable
12.3 · Visual: Notification Flow
flowchart TD
A[Accident/Incident Occurs] --> B{PIC alive & able?}
B -->|Yes| C[PIC notifies]
B -->|No - killed/incapacitated| D[Owner / Operator / Hirer / Relevant Person notifies]
C --> E[Within 24 hrs of becoming aware]
D --> E
E --> F[By quickest means available]
F --> G[AAIB]
F --> H[DGCA]
F --> I[In India only:
District Magistrate]
F --> J[In India only:
O-i-C Nearest Police Station]
K[ALSO submitted to AAIB by:] --> L[Aerodrome Operator]
K --> M[ATS in-charge]
K --> N[DG CA where applicable]
style E fill:#fdecec,stroke:#d93025,color:#a3160c,stroke-width:2px
style G fill:#e6f6ec,stroke:#1b8a3a
style H fill:#e6f6ec,stroke:#1b8a3a
style I fill:#e6f6ec,stroke:#1b8a3a
style J fill:#e6f6ec,stroke:#1b8a3a
Mandatory 24-hour notification chain following an accident/incident
15 · Practice Questions with Explanations
Q1The objective of the investigation of an accident or incident shall be the:
A) Prevention of accidents or incidents and to help the judges
✓ B) Prevention of accidents or incidents and to help the manufacturers in design — per textbook answer key
C) Prevention of accidents or incidents
Textbook Answer: A. Per the answer key supplied in the source material, the
correct option is listed as A. The doctrinal core principle is that
investigations are conducted solely for the prevention of accidents and incidents
— not to apportion blame or liability. Refer to Section 1 above for the formal
statement of objective.
Q2Which of the following, according to ICAO Annex 13, shall be entitled to appoint an accredited representative to participate in the investigation?
A) State conducting the investigation and State of design and manufacturing
B) All ICAO members States
✓ C) Any State which, on request, provides information, facilities or experts to the State conducting the investigation
Answer: C. Per Annex 13 — entitlement to appoint an accredited representative is
tied to the State that contributes information, facilities, or experts on request.
Q3The accident investigation preliminary report shall be submitted to appropriate States and to the ICAO, in:
A) Any of the world's major languages
✓ B) One of the working languages of ICAO
C) The language of the investigating State
Answer: B. Reports (final and preliminary) are submitted in one of the
ICAO working languages to ensure uniform accessibility to Contracting States.
Q4Upon receipt of the modification and a request by the State of Occurrence for participation, the State of Design and the State of Manufacture shall, in the case of an accident or serious incident, inform the State of Occurrence of the name of its representative to be present at the investigation when the aircraft:
✓ A) Has a maximum mass over 1,00,000 kg
B) Has a maximum mass over 27,000 kg
C) Has a maximum mass over 5,700 kg
Answer: A. The State of Design and State of Manufacture must nominate
representatives only when the aircraft involved exceeds 1,00,000 kg maximum mass.
Q5Who is responsible, under Annex 13 of the Chicago Convention, for the initiation of an accident investigation?
A) The law enforcement authorities of the state in which the aircraft is registered
B) The aircraft manufacturer
✓ C) The government of the state in which the accident took place
Answer: C. Under Annex 13, initiation of investigation lies with the
State of Occurrence — i.e. the government of the state where the accident
physically happened.
Q6Just before arriving on the apron, taxiing inadvertently on the grass, a wheel falls into a hole, which seriously damages the aircraft and obliges the crew to delay departure.
✓ A) This is an accident and the crew must follow the procedure relevant to this case
B) This is an irregularity in the operation, the crew must inform the operator of the delay caused by necessary repair
C) Since no physical injury has been noticed and the flight is over, the actions to be taken are related only to insurance, to the repair man, the operator and the persons in charge of the runways and taxiways
Answer: A. The aircraft sustained damage that adversely affects structural
strength / performance while persons were still on board with the intent of flight
(definition of "accident" extends from boarding to disembarking). The damage is not
among the listed exceptions (tires/brakes/wheels alone). Treat as an accident
and follow the relevant procedure.
Q7Where an accident or incident occurs to an aircraft in India, then the Pilot-in-Command of the aircraft shall send notice thereof to:
✓ A) AAIB, DGCA, DM and O-i-C of nearest police station — as soon as is reasonably practicable but in any case not later than 24 hours
B) AAIB, DGCA, DM and O-i-C of nearest police station — as soon as is reasonably practicable but in any case not later than 48 hours
C) AAIB, DGCA, DM and AAI — as soon as is reasonably practicable but in any case not later than 24 hours
Answer: A. The PIC must notify AAIB + DGCA + District Magistrate + O-i-C of
the nearest Police Station, within 24 hours of becoming aware. The agency is
the police station — not AAI.
Q8In the case of an accident, the aircraft or any parts or contents thereof may be removed without the authority of DG/AAIB:
A) To look for evidence
B) If so directed by the P-i-C
✓ C) To extricate the body of a dead dog
Answer: C. Under Clause (2) Proviso (a), aircraft/parts/contents may be moved
by SAR-authorised personnel to extricate persons or animals — dead or alive.
The other options (looking for evidence; PIC direction alone) are not permitted
exceptions.
Q9"An incident involving circumstances indicating that an accident or a serious incident could have occurred, if the risk had not been managed within safety margins" is known as?
A) Reportable Incident
✓ B) Significant Incident
C) Flight Safety Incident
Answer: B. This is the textbook definition of a Significant Incident —
one rung below "serious incident" on the severity ladder; risk was kept within margins,
preventing escalation.
Q10CVR and airborne image recording data:
A) Can be used for disciplinary, civil, administrative and criminal proceeding against the employees, operational personnel or organizations
✓ B) Can NOT be used for disciplinary, civil, administrative and criminal proceeding against the employees, operational personnel or organizations
C) Can be used for disciplinary, civil, administrative and criminal proceeding against the employees, operational personnel or organizations with the permission of DGCA
Answer: B. The use of CVR & airborne image data is strictly protected
— it shall not be used for any disciplinary, civil, administrative or criminal
proceedings against employees, operational personnel or organizations. This protection
preserves the safety-investigation purpose and protects "just culture".
📊 Answer Key (Per Source Textbook)
| Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Q5 | Q6 | Q7 | Q8 | Q9 | Q10 |
|---|
| A | C | B | A | C | A | A | C | B | B |
Capt. Pankaj Pahil