(Posted 28th April 2026)
Commercial aircraft accidents are very rare. That’s a good thing. It is the most powerful evidence that aviation is the safest form of transport.
But success has created a paradox. In the early days of flying one of the biggest drivers of safety improvements were accident reports.
Mark Searle, Director of Safety, argues that accident investigations remain one of the most powerful tools for improving aviation safety and saving lives, yet too many investigations are delayed, incomplete, or non?compliant with international standards. To preserve aviation’s exceptional safety record, states must strengthen their capacity to deliver timely, transparent, Annex 13-compliant accident reports and ensure their findings are widely shared and used.
KEY QUOTE:
The paradox is that, because accidents are so rare, it seems that many states have somehow lost the capacity to investigate them and deliver final accident reports on time and on spec—that is to say, in line with the standards and recommended practices outlined in Annex 13 of the Chicago Convention.
Read the full blog here. You are welcome to quote from this blog or to republish it.
