Accidents and serious incidents

Accidents and serious incidents must be reported to the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC) as quickly as possible. Those required to do so are aviation personnel, the air police agencies and local authorities.

The local authorities ensure that other than the necessary rescue efforts, no changes are made to the scene of the accident that could impede the investigation.

The DETEC’s Swiss Transportation Safety Investigation Board (STSB) conducts investigations to clarify the circumstances and causes of aircraft accidents and to prevent similar accidents in the future.

These investigations do not include aircraft accidents involving military aircraft, unless a civil aircraft is involved in the accident, as well as hang- and para-gliders.

The investigation is concluded by a report that may contain safety recommendations and measures intended to improve flight safety.

The DETEC Safety Officer subsequently decides in collaboration with the FOCA and aviation community whether and to what extent the AAIB’s safety recommendations should be implemented.         

Definitions of occurrences that are considered accidents or serious incidents are listed in the Swiss Aviation Manual (AIP ENR 1.14) and on the AAIB’s website.

Further information

https://www.bazl.admin.ch/content/bazl/en/home/themen/sicherheit/sicherheits-und-risikomanagement/unfaelle-und-schwere-vorfaelle.html