Differences between an accident and an air incident

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We review the important differences between a accident and an air incident, more how to differentiate them and understand their characteristics.

post writer by: Captain Rudolph Star
FAA Commercial Pilot
Twitter: @rodo_estrella

There are differences between the two terms., In the case of aviation, the most appropriate thing is to obtain information directly from the glossary of terms of the National Air Accident Investigation Board. – NTSB de USA.

Accident

The NTSB defines an Accident as any event associated with the operation of an aircraft that occurs from the time a person boards it with the intention of executing a flight until the time it has disembarked..

For this, crew or occupants will suffer death or fatal injury, which are those where the person dies within a period of 30 days after the accident occurred and/or requires hospitalization for a period greater than 48 hours starting within the first 7 days of the accident, event involving broken bones (with exceptions), tendon damage, muscles, severe nerves or bleeding, internal organs are involved or there are second or third degree burns involving a surface superior to the 5% of the body.

For the case of the aircraft, it must have suffered substantial damage, which is defined as damage or a failure that affects the integrity and structural strength of the same, its performance and flight characteristics that will require extensive repair or replacement of affected parts, not even fly again. Certain minor effects such as damage to coatings, fairings, etc. they are not considered substantial since they do not affect the characteristics of the aircraft.

Since there are new aeronautical technologies, It has also been considered an accident when they are involved unmanned aircraft, where it is defined that it is the event that occurs during the period during which the unmanned aircraft is turned on for the purpose of flight or mission until the moment in which it is deactivated and where serious injuries or death to any person are also produced and if the apparatus that must be of a weight of or greater than 300 pounds suffers substantial damage.

Como given extra, take into account the decisions of insurers, which can determine as a total loss to the aircraft, despite the fact that these could not fall within the definitions mentioned above.

Accident

On the other hand, Accident, It is all fact that is not defined as an accident, but associated with the operation of aircraft and that may affect the safety of operations, There are cases of serious Incidents, which is when during the development of an incident there was a high possibility of triggering a serious accident. Incidents generally do not include personal injury or death, but affect safety.

Examples of incidents can be invasion of a runway by an aircraft without having obtained authorization to do so or failures of the aircraft that do not end as an accident., for example smoke in the cabin where the use of oxygen masks is required for the crew and occupants. And a serious incident that can trigger an accident is, for example, the loss of 50% or more than the information provided by the aircraft's instruments, a fact that could easily lead to an accident.

So don't get confused and we can already, clearly identify the differences between one and the other.

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