The Ingenieur Vol 59 July-Sept 2014 The Ingenieur Vo. 59, July-Sept 2014 | Page 53

“The Board will offer
suggestions to improve the
Ministry’s handling of issues
related to road, land or sea
safety. It will also co-ordinate the
roles of the different agencies
and ensure there is no overlap
of jurisdiction,” Hishamuddin
told reporters after receiving the
report on the Genting bus crash
from the Independent Advisory
Panel.
It is expected to take
some time before the proposed
NTSB comes into place in
Malaysia as it will require the
necessary
legislation
and
approval by Cabinet. We expect
that the role model will be the
well-established NTSB in the US.
The Board in US was established
in 1967 to conduct independent
investigations of all civil aviation
accidents in the country and
major accidents in the other
modes of transportation. It is
not part of the Department
of Transportation (DOT), nor
organisationally affiliated with
any of DOT’s modal agencies,
including the Federal Aviation
Administration. The Board has
no regulatory or enforcement
powers. To ensure that NTSB’s
investigations
focus
only
on improving transportation
safety, the Board’s analysis
of factual information and its
determination of probable cause
cannot be entered as evidence
in a court of law.
The Board determines
the probable cause of the
accidents and issues safety
recommendations aimed at
preventing future accidents.
In addition, NTSB carries out
special
studies
concerning
transportation safety and coordinates the resources of

the Federal Government and
other organisations to provide
assistance to the major accident
victims and their family members.
The NTSB has five Board
members which are nominated
by the President of the US for
five-year terms. A member is
designated by the President as
Chairman and another as Vice
Chairman for two-year terms.
The Chairman’s post requires
separate Senate confirmation.
According to its website, NTSB
is a large organisation, with
approximately 400 employees,
located in its headquarters
in Washington DC and other
regional offices.
How NTSB Investigates
At the core of NTSB investigations
is the “Go Team.” The purpose
of the “Go Team” is to begin the
investigation of a major accident
at the accident scene, as quickly
as possible, assembling the
broad spectrum of technical
expertise that is needed to solve
complex transportation safety
problems.
The team can number
between three and more than
a dozen specialists from the
Board’s headquarters, who are
assigned on a rotational basis to
respond as quickly as possible
to the scene of the accident.
“Go Teams” travel by commercial
airlines or Government aircraft,
depending on circumstances
and availability.
During their time on the
“duty” rotation, team members
must be reachable 24 hours a
day by telephone at the office
or at home, or by pager. Most
“Go Team” members have tools
of their trade ready - carefully
selected wrenches, screwdrivers

and devices peculiar to their
specialty. All carry flashlights,
tape recorders, cameras, and
lots of extra tape and film.
The team’s immediate
boss is the Investigator-inCharge (IIC), a senior investigator
with years of NTSB and industry
experience. Each investigator
is a specialist responsible for
a clearly defined portion of the
accident investigation.
Under direction of the IIC,
each investigator heads what
is called a “working group” in
one area of expertise. Each is,
in effect, a sub-committee of
the overall investigating team.
The groups are staffed by
representatives of the “parties”
to the investigation.
In
surface
accident
investigations,
teams
are
smaller and working groups
fewer, 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. NTSB’s
weather, human performance
and survival factors specialists
respond to accidents of all kinds.
At least once daily during
the on-scene phase of an
investigation, one of the five
Board members of NTSB,
who accompanies the team,
briefs the media on the latest
factual information developed
by the team. While a career
investigator runs the inquiry as
IIC, the Board Member is the
primary spokesperson for the
investigation. A public affairs
officer also maintains contact
with the media. Confirmed,

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