This course is designed to provide the media professional with a non-technical overview of the process of aircraft accident investigation. Participants will be introduced to the steps in the investigation process and will learn how the investigator develops information from the evidence. The participant will learn what kinds of information are available and how to best acquire that information. This will include a discussion of the kinds of questions that an investigator can answer, when answers can be expected to other questions and why certain questions cannot be answered. The participants will be able to interact with an experienced investigator to better understand how to gather information at an investigation press briefing. The course will cover both major “go-team” investigations and those that have only a single investigator. This course will also relate issues involving survivors and family members now addressed in the US Federal Family Assistance Plan for Aviation Disasters and the recently issued International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Circular 285-AN/166 “Guidance on Assistance to Aircraft Accident Victims and Their Families”.

• Any media professional who may cover an aircraft accident of any kind.
• Any person who wants a better understanding of the aircraft accident investigation process and how the media can most effectively interact with the investigators.

• This course provides an overview of the process of aircraft accident investigation.
• You will learn of some of the hazards that exist at an aircraft accident site and some basic precautions you should take.
• Participants will learn the steps in the investigation process and when and how investigators gather evidence and can reasonably provide information to the media.
• You will interact with investigators and using actual accident information, participate in a mock press briefing.
• You will be introduced to sources of aviation safety information that can supplement the on-scene data.
• You will receive information of the official responsibilities facing air carriers and investigators as they relate to Family Assistance concerns.

• The accident investigation process
• The ICAO investigation organization and the party system
• A basic timeline for investigation information availability
• What the Investigator Can and Cannot Tell You
• Hazards In and Around an Aircraft Crash Site
• Aviation Safety Information Sources
• Observing a Crash Site
• Practicum in Interviewing Aircraft Accident Investigators
• US Federal Family Assistance Plan for Aviation Disasters
• ICAO Circular 285-AN/166 “Guidance on Assistance to Aircraft Accident Victims and Their Families”.
• Family Assistance issues and the Media

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Course for Media Professionals (AAIMP) consists of 4.5 days (36 hours) of instruction. Students receive lecture outlines, additional reference material and a Certificate of Completion. Classes begin at 0800 and end at noon on the last day.