Use of ADSB information in crash investigation
 

A sensitive topic on PPrune...

We are, for the better or the worse, seeing more and more use of ADSB information in recent crashes "pre-investigations", shall I say.

Clearly this approach is hugely unpopular with the community. However, both in the case of the recent MyCargo crash and the LaMia Flight 2933 accident it turned out that the initial conclusions gathered out of ADSB recordings gave a fairly decent picture of what happened.

With the increase in the quality and density of coverage (including recent developments from Aireon) shouldn't we have a more open minded attitude towards this line of inquiry ? Of course people will come up with wild, unsubstantiated theories. Yet, I think there is also valid material here.

Thoughts ?

AIBs routinely examine ADS-B data (amongst many other sources, obviously) in the course of an investigation. The difference is that they are aware of what it can and can't do, a distinction that's lost on many of the amateur sleuths.

ADSB data is really useful when overlaid with other data. It allows investigators to build an early mental model of a flight because too often you have to wait for other data to be downloaded or recovered. It also provides another level of confidence to the data when it is available and provides back-up locational data should that not be recoverable. That it is considered a primary source for armchair investigators means nothing. People appear not to need facts or data before passing opinion and but providing them with some accurate data can at least reduce some of the wildest, most obscure speculation.