Air accident investigator

Air accident investigators search for the causes of accidents and serious incidents, involving civilian aircraft.

In this guide

What you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

Depending on your role you could:

  • co-ordinate a team to respond to an incident
  • gather and record evidence to build a picture of what happened
  • speak sensitively and tactfully with victims, witnesses and bereaved relatives
  • reassemble or dismantle wreckage to look for clues
  • recover data from flight recorders and instruments
  • use drones to survey accident sites
  • piece together events that led to an accident
  • manage the different stages of an investigation
  • update relatives on progress, especially in fatal accidents
  • write accident reports
  • make safety recommendations to regulators and the industry
  • act as an expert witness at inquests and official inquiries

Working environment

You could work in remote rural areas, in an aircraft hangar, in a laboratory or in an office.

Your working environment may be physically and emotionally demanding and you'll travel often.

You may need to wear protective clothing.

Career path and progression

If you work as an engineering or flight data recorder investigator, you could become an operations director, co-ordinating the investigation process. You could also progress to chief accident inspector.

You could use your experience to work as a consultant with aerospace manufacturers, safety regulators or aviation industry insurance companies.

What it takes

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • knowledge of manufacturing production and processes
  • patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
  • knowledge of computer operating systems, hardware and software
  • the ability to use your initiative
  • analytical thinking skills
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • persistence and determination
  • to be able to use a computer and the main software packages confidently

Restrictions and Requirements

You'll need to:

Most relevant

  • Physics - Air accident investigators need a deep understanding of forces, motion, materials, and energy to work out why an aircraft failed or crashed. They analyse how structures behave under stress, how aerodynamics work, and what physical evidence like impact patterns and debris distribution can reveal about an incident.
  • Engineering - Air accident investigators dismantle and reassemble wreckage, examine mechanical and structural components, and assess whether engineering failures contributed to an accident. A strong foundation in engineering principles – particularly aerospace and mechanical – is central to understanding how aircraft systems work and where they can go wrong.
  • Mathematics - Air accident investigators use mathematics to analyse flight data, calculate trajectories, speeds, and forces involved in an incident. Statistical analysis and mathematical modelling help them reconstruct the sequence of events and test different theories about what caused an accident.
  • Electronics - Air accident investigators recover and analyse data from flight recorders, cockpit instruments, and electronic control systems. Understanding how electronic circuits, sensors, and avionics systems work is essential for identifying electrical or electronic faults that may have contributed to an incident.

Also relevant

  • Computer Science - Air accident investigators recover data from flight data recorders and digital instruments, which requires understanding how data is stored and processed in computer systems. They also work with software used to simulate flights and model accident scenarios.
  • Psychology - Air accident investigators often examine human factors – such as pilot fatigue, decision-making under pressure, or communication errors – that may have contributed to an incident. Understanding how people think and behave in high-stress situations is a recognised specialism within accident investigation.
  • English Language - Air accident investigators write detailed accident reports that must be clear, precise, and accessible to regulators, the aviation industry, and bereaved families. They also act as expert witnesses at inquests, where the ability to communicate complex technical findings in plain language is crucial.
  • Chemistry - Air accident investigators may need to analyse fuel samples, fire residues, or material degradation to understand what happened during an incident. Knowledge of how materials corrode, burn, or react under extreme conditions helps when examining wreckage for chemical evidence.
  • Design and Technology - Air accident investigators examine how aircraft components were designed, manufactured, and assembled to identify potential flaws. Understanding manufacturing processes and materials – and being able to read technical drawings – helps when assessing whether a design or production issue played a role in an accident.

How to become

You can get into this job through:

  • a university course
  • applying directly

You'll usually need a degree or postgraduate qualification in engineering or a related subject. Courses include:

  • aerospace engineering
  • aeronautical engineering
  • electrical or electronic engineering
  • mechanical engineering
  • physics
  • mathematics

You may be able to do a postgraduate course in safety and accident investigation, which covers air transport.

Some investigator roles look at the part played by human factors in an incident, and a degree and postgraduate qualification in psychology would be useful for these.

As well as a university qualification, you'll need several years experience of working in aircraft engineering.

A pilot's licence may also be required for some jobs, like an air accident operations inspector.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 or 3 A levels, or equivalent, including maths
  • a degree in a relevant subject for postgraduate study

More Information

You can apply directly to become an air accident investigator.

If you want to work as an operations inspector, managing an accident response team, you’ll need a pilot’s licence and flying experience.

To be an engineering investigator or flight data recorder inspector, you’ll need a relevant degree or postgraduate qualification and several years’ recent experience in aerospace engineering.

You can also take short courses in accident investigation techniques, which may help broaden your knowledge of the role and skills required.

Further information

You can find out more about how to become an investigator from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch.

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