Getting at the truth after an aircraft accident used to be easier in the past than it is today.
Probably the first AAIB investigation that was obviously affected by ongoing litigation aspects was the Staines Papa India Trident accident.
For what it is worth, I believe there are some very honest investigators in the AAIB, NTSB and the BEA. However, such is the complexity of modern types and the operational situations in which they crash, these full time honest men cannot do a meaningful investigation without the help of outside experts. The specialist knowledge they lack is often only available from the manufacturers and the operators of the aircraft that has crashed. This process, whereby such specialists take part in any investigation is known as the “party process.”
In the USA the integrity of the party process, as it affects the NTSB, was recently reported on by RAND. I quote from their report entitled Safety in the Skies:
The party process presents inherent conflicts of interest for entities that are both parties in an investigation and “parties defendant” in related litigation. Indeed, RAND has found that, at least in certain complex types of accidents, the party system is potentially unreliable and that party representatives may be acting to further various interests beyond prevention of a similar accident. Such potential conflicts may, in some instances, threaten the integrity of the NTSB investigative process, raising numerous questions about the extent to which party representatives are motivated to influence the outcome of the safety-related investigation in anticipation of litigation. NTSB
There is much more in the report than it is reasonable to quote here, but it all essentially says
some people may lie because their boss tells them to. Sadly, I don’t find that surprising.
If the media are helped to understand the issues they might aid getting at the truth - or at least make it harder to bury it. Its possible Jacko could make a difference here.