Which of the following is a step in a basic airfield incident investigation?

Which of the following is a step in a basic airfield incident investigation?

• A. Collect witnesses
• B. Schedule maintenance for runways
• C. De-ice aircraft
• D. Train staff

Answer: (A)

Collecting witnesses is essential because it provides firsthand accounts of what happened, helping establish the sequence of events and the factors that contributed to the incident. Interviewing people who were present or who observed aspects of the incident captures details that physical evidence alone may not reveal and helps preserve information while memories are fresh. Other options aren’t part of the investigation steps: scheduling maintenance for runways is a maintenance activity, not a way to determine what occurred during the incident; de-icing aircraft is an operational procedure to handle weather conditions, not an information-gathering step; training staff relates to ongoing safety programs rather than investigating a specific event.

Collecting witnesses is essential because it provides firsthand accounts of what happened, helping establish the sequence of events and the factors that contributed to the incident. Interviewing people who were present or who observed aspects of the incident captures details that physical evidence alone may not reveal and helps preserve information while memories are fresh.

Other options aren’t part of the investigation steps: scheduling maintenance for runways is a maintenance activity, not a way to determine what occurred during the incident; de-icing aircraft is an operational procedure to handle weather conditions, not an information-gathering step; training staff relates to ongoing safety programs rather than investigating a specific event.