Romanucci & Blandin, LLC welcomed the news that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) had dispatched a team of investigators to assist the governments of Honduras and El Salvador in their investigation of a recent fatal runway overrun involving a TACA Airlines Airbus A-320 in Tegucigalpa.

Our law firm – which has represented dozens of victims of commercial aviation disasters and has been ranked among the top 8 Illinois firms in aviation practice by the Leading Lawyers Network of Illinois – is aware of the quality work provided by this board. We also know they are committed to making travel safer and the aviation industry more accountable for its products and safety practices

Readers of this blog may be interested to know more about the National Transportation Safety Board. It is an independent U.S. Federal agency that investigates every civil aviation accident in the United States and significant accidents in other modes of transportation, conducts special investigations and safety studies, and issues safety recommendations to prevent future accidents. Safety Board investigators are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. When the Board is notified of a major accident, it launches a “Go Team,” whose size varies with the severity of the accident and the complexity of the issues involved. The team may consist of experts in up to 14 specialties, coordinated by the investigator-in-charge. Each expert manages a group of other specialists from government agencies and industry to collect facts and determine the conditions and circumstances surrounding the accident.

The investigative groups formed vary, depending on the nature of the accident, and they may look into areas such as structures, systems, power plants, human performance, fire and explosion, meteorology, radar data, event recorders, and witness statements. After an investigation is completed, a detailed report is prepared that analyzes the investigative record and identifies the probable cause of the accident.

The NTSB conducted 31 major investigations involving fatalities within the last 10 years. Generally, a preliminary report is available on their website within a few days of an accident. Factual information is added when available, and when the investigation is completed, the preliminary report is replaced with a final description of the accident and its probable cause.

To help prevent accidents, save lives and reduce injuries, the Board develops safety recommendations based on its investigations and studies, which are issued to federal, state and local government agencies, and to industry and other organizations in order to improve overall transportation safety.