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Original Message See: 49 CFR § 831.11 - Parties to the investigation.
NTSB Go TeamAt the core of NTSB investigations is the "Go Team," consisting of technical experts needed to solve complex transportation safety problems. Specialists across the agency have a rotational duty assignment to respond as quickly as possible to the scene of the accident. Go Teams travel by commercial airliner or government aircraft depending on circumstances and availability. During their time on the duty rotation, members must be reachable 24 hours a day. Most Go Team members do not have a suitcase pre-packed because there's no way of knowing whether the accident scene will be in Florida or Alaska, but they do have tools of their trade and necessary safety equipment such as hard hats, goggles, steel toed shoes. Go Team StructureAn Investigator-in-Charge (IIC), a senior investigator with years of NTSB and industry experience, leads the Go Team. Each investigator on the team is a specialist responsible for a clearly defined portion of the accident investigation. Here are some examples of aviation specialty areas:
Major launches also include a:
Working GroupsUnder direction of the IIC, each NTSB investigator heads a working group in one area of expertise. The groups are staffed by representatives of the "parties" to the investigation (see The Party System). For an aviation accident, parties generally include the Federal Aviation Administration, the airline, the pilots' and flight attendants' unions, airframe and engine manufacturers, and the like. Flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder teams assemble at NTSB headquarters. In surface accident investigations, there are fewer working groups, but the team technique is the same. Locomotive engineers, signal system specialists and track engineers head working groups at railroad accidents. The specialists at a highway crash include a truck or bus mechanical expert and a highway engineer. The NTSB’s weather, human performance and survival factors specialists respond to accidents of all kinds. The individual working groups remain, if necessary, at the accident scene. This varies from a few days to several weeks. Some then move on. For example, in aviation, Powerplants would travel to an engine teardown at a manufacturer or overhaul facility; Systems to an instrument manufacturer's plant; Operations to the airline's training base. Their work continues at Washington headquarters, forming the basis for later analysis and drafting of a proposed report. |