What does an investigation into a major crash look like?

7NEWS

8 hours ago

As the world reels from the devastating plane crash in India, everyone is left asking: How does this happen? And what happens next?
While rescue teams on the ground are saving lives and retrieving the dead, a whole different yet crucial process begins in the background — the crash investigation.
Australian aviation consultant and Managing Director of Aviation Projects Keith Tonkin has shed light on how officials around the globe deal with these tragedies.
'The very first steps are to conduct the rescue and recovery operation,' Tonkin told 7NEWS.com.au.
After these first steps, a complex investigation procedure begins — one that often spans continents, years of research, and ultimately influences the course of aviation safety.
Who examines a crash?
Under international aviation law, the country where the accident occurred is responsible for carrying out the investigation.
In the case of the Air India crash, India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is undertaking the investigation.
Other countries are introduced based on their association with the event — for example, where the aircraft was built or designed, or whether there were large numbers of victims from another country.
'In the India crash, the United States will be involved because the aircraft was manufactured there,' Tonkin said.
'The UK is also participating because some passengers were British nationals.'
What do they look for?
Investigators use a combination of physical wreckage, electronic data, and human records to understand what happened during the incident.
This includes:
The black box — which is actually orange in colour — with flight data and cockpit audio
The position of key components — if landing gear was deployed or engines were producing thrust
Maintenance records, pilot training logs, and flight dispatch notes
Environmental conditions like weather, wind, and visibility
Video or audio information recorded by witnesses or onboard systems
'They'll look at physical evidence, witness remarks or telltale signs from the state of the physical aircraft, the engines to see if the engines were generating thrust or not, voice recorder and the flight data recorder that will have data on a number of different parameters of the aircraft for some time prior to the accident,' Tonkin said.
How long does it take?
These investigations are complex — involving global cooperation, technical reconstruction, and typically grieving families looking for answers.
'Probably expect one and a half or two years to get the full report, but there'll be preliminary results released in a few weeks,' Tonkin said.
These preliminary reports can have a bearing on short-term safety suggestions, but it requires the full report to reveal the full picture.
Could this ground other planes?
When investigators discover a systemic safety risk, the regulators can choose to ground all planes of the model temporarily. That was done with the Boeing 737 MAX in 2019, following two deadly crashes linked to faulty software.
'If there's a systemic issue that relates to a particular aircraft type that needs to be resolved straight away, and that is a real important safety issue, then they will ground the fleet,' Tonkin said.
In Australia, Virgin Australia and Bonza operate the Boeing 737 MAX. Its employment has been certified by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), and it is regularly monitored for worldwide incidents.
Can crashes change world aviation?
Yes. Most of the most significant developments in aviation safety — from enhanced cockpit alerts to stricter maintenance schedules — were born out of tragedy.
'They can all be influenced by the results of these investigations,' Tonkin said.
If an accident reveals shortcomings in the design, maintenance or operation of an aircraft, lessons are shared worldwide.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation allows worldwide rule changes to prevent future catastrophes.
What about the airline?
Restoring confidence may be a difficult and lengthy process for the participating carrier — in this case, Air India.
'People will be rightfully concerned about hopping on another aircraft,' Tonkin said.
Tonkin said that the airline has to 'double down on responding to whatever the findings are from the investigation' and take measures to prevent a repeat.
Each crash has long-term consequences for passengers, airlines, regulators, and the global flying public.
These investigations don't just tell us what went wrong — they make sure it doesn't happen again.