Challenges and solutions from accident investigators’ different professional backgrounds related to data collection and interpretation

The collection and interpretation of multimedia data can be considered as a routine step in the accident investigation process. Data from FDRs, CVRs, and other sources such as airborne image recorders, datalink downloads, and QARs/DARs, have been widely used for accident investigation (ICAO, 2011). Novel sources of multimedia information have also been gaining in popularity. The proliferation of smartphones, security, and dashboard cameras (see Fig. 1) have resulted in an increase in the number of photos and videos captured of aircraft accidents (Aviation Safety Council, 2016). Techniques have been developed to support the use of these media files, such as through calibration of videos shot by bystanders with onboard CVR audio, to assist in accident investigations (Aviation Safety Council, 2016; Horak, 2019). Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), or drones, have also become a popular tool. They are relatively inexpensive to obtain and can be deployed quickly by the investigative teams on arrival to an accident scene. Unlike using helicopters for aerial photography, drones can be flown close to obstacles, and do not have issues such as rotor downwash which may disturb the site (Gomez et al., 2017; Hawkins, 2016). Remote sensing and image filter technology can also assist in the identification of different materials. For example, liquid fuel, aircraft parts, vegetation, etc., can be mapped for wreckage survey and site safety assessments (Gomez et al., 2017; Privett et al., 2012). Digital photogrammetry can be used to create 3D reconstructions of the wreckage, enabling remote collaboration between investigative teams (Hawkins, 2016; Wang, 2022).