Pilot completes air accident investigation course

Air Malta pilot Captain Denis Caruana has successfully completed a six-week air accident investigation course at Cranfield University, in Bedfordshire, UK.

The course, sponsored by the Ministry of Transport and Communications, was conducted by the Safety and Accidents Investigation Faculty of the university and facilitated by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch of the United Kingdom.

It covered a vast spectrum of subjects and modules including management, operational, engineering, pathological, human factors and legal and media aspects of an accident investigation.

The accident case histories presented during the course also ranged from civil fixed wing aircraft to military helicopters.

The course is the standard training programme for all investigators enrolling in the ranks of the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch.

The course culminated in a seven-day investigation of a simulated aircraft accident. For this exercise, Capt. Caruana was appointed by the course organisers to head a team of six course delegates to determine the events leading to the "accident", draw factual conclusions and make appropriate safety recommendations.