What happens to an airline after a crash

[dabz]

I'm studying for my degree in aviation science and this question came to me while doing an assignment.

Does anybody know what happens within the airline?
Does the airline go into "emergency operations"?
Does the Safety Management System get put under the microscope?
Does the Safety Manager get a bollocking?

Any accident is bad for not just the airline but the industry, how does an airline bouce back from the bad rep they get?

[GlueBall]

It's all relative. Some accidents get more media coverage when the crash occurs at or near populated places. Some accidents in Third World countries get no attention and no scrutiny. ANZ is still in business after one of its DC-10-30s had crashed into Mt. Erebus on the south pole on a sight seeing flight. Bottom line is that airlines generally stay in business, because people don't stop flying, and life goes on.

[Rwy in Sight]

When does the crisis management involves in the hours and days after the accident? Surely not what the Turkish did!

[Old Smokey]

Hi dabz,

"Does anybody know what happens within the airline?"

There is a very well structured disaster management programme which "kicks in" immediately. Considering how rare catastrophes are, it's quite remarkable how quickly and effectively these programmes are in full swing.

"Does the airline go into "emergency operations"?

Not sure what you mean by "emergency operations", refer to the previous answer.

"Does the Safety Management System get put under the microscope?"

Definately yes, and also every other conceivable possible contributor to the accident.

"Does the Safety Manager get a bollocking?"

Not unless any of his actions, or actions which he's sanctioned are found to be contributory to the accident.

Hope that that helps.

Regards,

Old Smokey

[IGh]

Question posed "What happens within an AIRLINE after ...?"

The answer would be different for each "field phase" of the investigation.

To answer your question I'ld site various cases, and then discuss the differences.
There are some intervals in history where one (big) AIRLINE had three major investigation in-progress, all at the same time.

Immediately after the accident, there may NOT be any evidence available (awaiting underwater search and later recovery). In this case, all the usual suits, & coffee drinkers show-up, gossip, and perhaps make a plan. The real workers won't be needed for weeks or months.

Immediately after, the toughest job is done by the FAMILY ASSISTANCE workers (mostly women airline employees, agents, FAs, &ct): these ladies face the most difficult task of dealing with grieving relatives. These workers, though not "hands-on" wreckage tin-kickers, experience more trauma than the tin-kickers. Since the Aloha case, the Critical Incident Response (team) has developed tactics to "de-fuse" these investigator-workers routinely (weekly or maybe daily).

In cases of "mysterious" upset (often inflight FIRE), or breakup, some airline employees will face YEARS of work on that one investigation: a long field phase, then perhaps years of research (studying flammability, or ignition sources, or studying various modes of failure of flight controls).

For your purposes, I'ld study investigations of mysterious cases, and study some easier investigations (with wreckage and pilots available): maybe study the investigations of 1979 (ANZ DC-10, AA DC-10 at ORD, B727 over Saginaw), and later investigations of SR111, and TWA800. Inside an AIRLINE, various "parties" contribute directly to the investigating authority.

[Miles Gustaph]

To add further to IDH’s comments:

This may be a little off to the side but a big accident normally hits a company hard, and robust crisis response is very important; but a little talked about issue associated with an accident is the Public Relations work surrounding it.

After the TWA 1996 accident the company left it a long time before addressing the press and from a PR point of view handled the whole thing really badly.

Ironically the engineering, flight operations and crisis management teams were commended by the investigation on their professionalism and for the assistance given to the investigative teams.

Because of the PR feaux pas TWA stocks took a dive and took several years to recover.

Come forward to the BA accident at Heathrow, within minutes BA had a press release, in under an hour we had our PR spokes person for the duration of the press’s primary interest.

Their stocks blipped for a couple of days.

Now it’s fair to say BA are very competent at handling such events but a great many organisations do not give the PR issue the time and thought it really deserves as there is a link between PR and stock prices of a company. If you’re geeky enough to do the research it’s quite interesting how the publics’ perception of a company following an accident affect its commercial viability.

Miles