Accident classification is a standardized method in
accident analysis
Accident analysis is carried out in order to determine the cause or causes of an accident (that can result in single or multiple outcomes) so as to prevent further accidents of a similar kind. It is part of ''accident investigation or incident in ...
by which the causes of an accident, including the root causes, are grouped into categories. Accident classification is mainly used in aviation but can be expanded into other areas, such as railroad or health care. While
accident reports are very detailed, the goal of accident classification is to look at a broader picture. By analysing a multitude of accidents and applying the same standardized classification scheme, patterns in how accidents develop can be detected and correlations can be built. The advantage of a standardized accident classification is that
statistical methods
Statistics (from German: ''Statistik'', "description of a state, a country") is the discipline that concerns the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of data. In applying statistics to a scientific, industria ...
can be used to gain more insight into accident causation.
A good accident classification system
* is easy to apply, ideally it is intuitive to use,
* covers as many aspects as possible: human performance, organisational issues, technological issues,
Threat and error management
In aviation safety, threat and error management (TEM) is an overarching safety management approach that assumes that pilots will naturally make mistakes and encounter risky situations during flight operations. Rather than try to avoid these threa ...
,
* enables the safety experts to recreate the sequence of causal factors and how they correlate with each other.
Accident vs incident classification
A good accident classification taxonomy is also suitable for incident investigation. The difference between an accident and an incident is the end state. While the end state in an incident is always recoverable, it is not in an accident. Examples for an end state in aviation: in an incident the end state could be a "Controlled Flight Towards Terrain" which is then recovered, while in an accident it would be a "Controlled Flight Into Terrain", which cannot be recovered. The causal factors leading to either one can be analysed with one and the same accident classification system.
Accident classification systems
* IATA Accident Classification System was developed by members of the
IATA Accident Classification Task Force The IATA Accident Classification Task Force (ACTF) analyses and classifies commercial aviation accidents for jet aircraft with a maximum takeoff weight of more than 20 tons and for turboprops of more than 5,7 tons (metric). The task force holds its ...
. It is based on the Threat and Error Management Framework of Prof. Helmreich (UT) and Dr. James Klinect. The taxonomy covers the organisation, environmental and airline threats, technical failures, human performance issues and in particular breakdown of communication. The IATA accident classification taxonomy also looks into which prevention strategies could have prevented the accident.
*
(HFACS) was developed by Wiegman and Shappell. This taxonomy is based on the "
Swiss Cheese Model" of Prof. James Reason.
References
External links
IATA Safety Group and Task ForcesIATA Accident Classification, Article Dr. Dieter Reisinger
ref>
Application of HFACS, Article Wiegman and Shappel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Accident Classification
Aviation accidents and incidents
Aviation safety