The National Transportation Safety Board engages in a “party process” while investigating civil aviation accidents in the United States and major accidents involving other modes of transportation including highway, railway, pipelines, and marine. NTSB incorporates technical expertise from the airlines or aircraft manufacturers, Air Line Pilot Association (ALPHA) among other professional and individuals who took part in the accident and can provide expert knowledge to help in establishing the possible cause of the of the accident (National Transportation Safety Board, 2002). Every party in the investigation contributes specific information essential for transportation safety. In addition, each party or its verified representatives are allowed to assign its specialists to particular groups to assist in the investigation process. Concerning this, aircraft manufacturer can assign a structural engineer to the structures and test pilot to the operations group (Le and Lappas). This highly specialized process aims at providing an accurate and professional report that can be used to curb future accidents.
One of the limitation in the NTSB party process is exemption of the litigants and claimants from serving as party members. This prohibition denies the Board opportunity of obtaining essential background information, which cannot be provided by the employed team of experts, regarding the actual cause of a particular accident.
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The NTSB party process is a well-organized investigation, undertaken by professionals and experts in various fields. Each of the NTSB group chair people submits a final report entailing his or her area of responsibility at the end of the on-scene phase. Through the party process, the NTSB determines the most likely cause of the accidents and recommends methods that aims at preventing future accidents or incidents. Besides, this process helps in coordinating the resources of the Federal Government and other institutions to provide the appropriate assistance to the victims and members of families affected by major accidents in transport industry.
References
Le, H., & Lappas, I. (2015). Continuing airworthiness: major drivers and challenges in civil and military aviation. Aviation, 19(4), 165-170.
National Transportation Safety Board. (2002). Major Investigation Manual. Retrieved from: https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/process/Documents/MajorInvestigationsManual.pdf.
