Objective Should Be To Determine The Accident's Contributing Factors, Not Assess Blame

The International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA) would like to express its most sincere condolences to the families of the passengers and crew of Lion Air flight JT610 who lost their loved ones in the accident near Jakarta early Monday, 29 October. We also wish to extend our support to our colleagues in the Region for whom this is undoubtedly a traumatic experience.

In order to learn from such an event, IFALPA stresses the need for a technical investigation into the circumstances of this accident strictly following the provisions laid out in ICAO Annex 13 which states that "the sole objective of the investigation of an accident or incident shall be the prevention of accidents and incidents," and that "it is not the purpose of this activity to apportion blame or liability." Its objective should be to determine the accident’s contributing factors and make the necessary safety recommendations.

Premature conclusions, often based on incomplete, inaccurate, or speculative information will only hamper the ability to learn from these tragic events. We urge the media, the public, and the concerned stakeholders to respect the long-established procedures for analysing these events and let the accident investigation run its course.

The International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations represents more than 100,000 pilots in nearly 100 countries around the globe. The mission of IFALPA is to promote the highest level of aviation safety worldwide and to be the global advocate of the piloting profession; providing representation, services, and support to both our members and the aviation industry.

(Source: IFALPA news release)

FMI: www.ifalpa.org