The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is an independent federal government organization whose job is to investigate airplane accidents in the U.S. The NTSB is not part of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Rather, the NTSB’s sole job is to find out what caused each plane crash and what safety steps might prevent a similar crash from happening in the future.
An NTSB investigation starts with the board’s “Go Team,” a group of specialists who respond to each major airline crash site and start investigating as soon as possible. Each team member gathers information in their area of expertise, then brings it back to the NTSB’s specialist investigators in Washington, DC, where the teams work together to reconstruct an accident. Interviews of witnesses, data from airplane and ground control recording devices, and other investigative techniques as needed round out the NTSB’s tools.
If the NTSB needs the help of specialists that aren’t on its staff, it may designate another government agency or private company a “party” to the investigation, giving it the power to participate. As the agency directly responsible for tracking and recording airline schedules, flight paths, and other information, the FAA is always a party to NTSB investigations.
Aviation accidents are rare, but when they do occur, they can be deadly. Negligent handling of the aircraft, errors in tracking or commands from airports, or defective parts or maintenance can all play a role in airplane accidents. If you or someone you love has been injured in a plane accident in Tennessee, the experienced Chattanooga aviation accident lawyers at Massey & Associates, P.C. can help. To learn more, call us today at (423) 396-0720 for a free and confidential consultation.
Gary Massey, Jr., is a well-known courtroom advocate practicing law in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Gary is a native of Tennessee who began practicing law in 1998. He graduated from Cumberland School of Law where he was ranked in the top 3% of his class and was an editor of the Cumberland Law Review.
