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49 CFR Part 830: Notification and Reporting

49 CFR Part 830: Notification and Reporting of Aircraft Accidents or Incidents and Overdue Aircraft, and Preservation of Aircraft Wreckage, Mail, Cargo, and Records

https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/49/part-830

• A: General
• B: Initial Notification of Aircraft Accidents, Incidents, and Overdue Aircraft
• C: Preservation of Aircraft Wreckage, Mail, Cargo, and Records
• D: Reporting of Aircraft Accidents, Incidents, and Overdue Aircraft

An aircraft accident means an occurrence in which any person suffers death or serious injury, or in which the aircraft receives substantial damage.

Fatal injury means any injury which results in death within 30 days of the accident.

An incident refers to an occurrence other than an accident which affects or could affect the safety of operations.

Serious injury means any injury which:

Requires hospitalization for more than 48 hours, commencing within 7 days from the date of the injury was received;
results in a fracture of any bone (except simple fractures of fingers, toes, or nose);
causes severe hemorrhages, nerve, muscle, or tendon damage;
involves any internal organ; or
involves second- or third-degree burns, or any burns affecting more than 5 percent of the body surface.

Substantial damage means damage or failure which adversely affects the structural strength, performance, or flight characteristics of the aircraft, and which would normally require major repair or replacement of the affected component.

Items not considered "substantial damage" include

Engine failure or damage limited to an engine if only one engine fails or is damaged;
bent fairings or cowling;
dented skin;
small punctured holes in the skin or fabric;
ground damage to rotor or propeller blades;
damage to landing gear, wheels, tires, flaps, engine accessories, brakes, or wingtips.

Operators shall immediately notify the NTSB in the event of:

Flight control system malfunction or failure;
Inability of any required flight crewmember to perform normal flight duties as a result of injury or illness;
Failure of any internal turbine engine component that results in the escape of debris other than out the exhaust path;
In-flight fire;
Aircraft collision in flight;
Damage to property, other than the aircraft, estimated to exceed $25,000 for repair (including materials and labor) or fair market value in the event of total loss, whichever is less.
A complete loss of information, excluding flickering, from more than 50 percent of an aircraft's cockpit displays Airborne Collision and Avoidance System (ACAS) resolution advisories issued when an aircraft is being operated on an instrument flight rules flight plan and compliance with the advisory is necessary to avert a substantial risk of collision between two or more aircraft.

Information to be given is outlined in 49 CFR 830.6.

The operator shall file a report within 10 days after an accident, or after 7 days if an overdue aircraft is still missing.

A report on an incident for which immediate notification is required per 830.5(a) shall be filed only as requested by an authorized representative of the Board.

Test Prep

Accident and incident notification & reporting questions are part of the FAA's test database. Pilots can expect to see at least one question on most tests.

The regulations are very specific, but the time requirements can be broken down into four categories:

Immediate (notification)
Ten days (10) (report)
Seven days (7) (report)
Upon request (report)

"Immediate" applies to a list of seven critical events. "Flight control system malfunction or failure" is the one that shows up most often in test questions. In general, these are in-flight failures — flight controls, turbine engines, cockpit displays, crew members, fires. This category also includes mid-air collisions and substantial property damage.

Ten (10) days applies to aircraft accidents. This requires:

A fatality.
A "serious injury" requiring hospitalization; or any injury involving bone fractures, burns, internal organs, and other general damage.
"Substantial damage" affecting aircraft strength, performance, or flight characteristics, which requires major repair or replacement.

Important note: While the NTSB expects a report within ten days of an accident, it expects an immediate notification.

Seven (7) days only applies the time required to file a report on an overdue aircraft. It does not apply to any other scenario.

Everything else is "Upon request."

Immediate notification	Critical events & accidents	Flight control system malfunction or failure; Inability of any required flight crewmember to perform normal flight duties as a result of injury or illness; Failure of any internal turbine engine component that results in the escape of debris other than out the exhaust path; In-flight fire; Aircraft collision in flight; Damage to property, other than the aircraft, estimated to exceed $25,000 for repair (including materials and labor) or fair market value in the event of total loss, whichever is less. A complete loss of information, excluding flickering, from more than 50 percent of an aircraft's cockpit displays Airborne Collision and Avoidance System (ACAS) resolution advisories issued when an aircraft is being operated on an instrument flight rules flight plan and compliance with the advisory is necessary to avert a substantial risk of collision between two or more aircraft. Aircraft accident (to be followed by a report, filed within 10 days).
Report within ten (10) days	Aircraft accident	Fatality Serious injury Failure which adversely affects the structural strength, performance, or flight characteristics of the aircraft Normally requires major repair or replacement of the affected component.
Report within seven (7) days	Overdue aircraft	Provided that the overdue aircraft is still missing.
Report upon request	Aircraft incident	An occurrence other than an accident which affects or could affect the safety of operations. Engine failure or damage limited to an engine if only one engine fails or is damaged. Bent fairings or cowling. Dented skin. Small punctured holes in the skin or fabric. Ground damage to rotor or propeller blades. Damage to landing gear, wheels, tires, flaps, engine accessories, brakes, or wingtips.

Commercial Pilot & Flight Instructor Test Questions

The operator of an aircraft that has been involved in an incident is required to submit a report to the nearest field office of the NTSB only if requested to do so.

If an aircraft is involved in an accident which results in substantial damage to the aircraft, the nearest NTSB field office shall be notified immediately.

Notification to the NTSB is required when there has been substantial damage which adversely affects aircraft performance.

A person must be hospitalized for 48 hours (within 7 days of the date of injury) for the NTSB to define the injury as a "serious injury."

The NTSB defines a serious injury as any injury which causes severe tendon damage.

NTSB Part 830 requires an immediate notification as a result of which incident? Flight control system malfunction.

The operator of an aircraft involved in an incident is required to submit a report to the nearest field office of the NTSB only if requested to do so.
— Incidents have a lower reporting threshold than accidents.

The operator of an aircraft that has been involved in an accident is required to file a report within how many days? Ten (10).

How many days after an accident is a report required to be filed with the nearest NTSB field office? 10.

An accident is a report required to be filed with the nearest NTSB field office within 10 days.

Notification of an aircraft accident should be made to the NTSB immediately if there was substantial damage.
— A formal accident report is required within 10 days.

Robert Wederquist CP-ASEL - AGI - IGI
Commercial Pilot • Instrument Pilot
Advanced Ground Instructor • Instrument Ground Instructor

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