Aircraft Accident Checklist - NATCA Air Safety Investigators

AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT/INCIDENT CHECKLIST
In the event of an incident or accident involving your facility, the
FacRep or delegated Rep should follow this checklist.
 Position Relief: Controllers who were involved with an accident or incident shall be relieved from
position as soon as practical IAW Covered Event MOU signed 18JAN13 and QA-QC MOU
signed 26OCT11.
 Representation: Offer/Provide NATCA representation to all involved Bargaining-Unit personnel.
As soon as practical, individually move each involved person to a quiet, private area where they
can calm down and talk.
 Notification: As soon as possible, call your Region’s NATCA Accident/Incident point of contact
(See list on last page)*. Be prepared to provide the following details:
Your name, facility, and NATCA position (FacRep, Local Officer, Member)
A list of phone numbers where you can be contacted.
A description of what happened & initial assessment of any potential ATC problems.
Confirm CISM was offered for involved controllers.
Whether the Agency conducted drug testing.
* If you do not get a response within 20 minutes please contact your NATCA RVP on their
cellphone. Another option is to submit your report via http://asi.natca.net/reports/
 Media Issues: Rep's and Controllers: Do NOT speak to the media under any
circumstances! Even if the press reports wildly inaccurate accounts of controller error, do NOT
try to correct it. Direct all media requests to Doug Church (301-346-8245). Warn controllers that
they will be subject to disciplinary action for making any unauthorized statements to the media.
Do NOT post anything about the accident on social media! Educate your members that they
should not post anything or even make comments on an accident or incident.
 CISM / Controller Reactions: Pay close attention to involved controller’s emotional states.
Their initial reactions, outward appearances and statements may be deceptive. Encourage
controllers to engage Critical Incident Stress Management (Art. 74) and refer them to
www.natcacism.com . Much of CISM work with controllers takes place via phone
conversations. Controllers don't have to feel affected by an event to call. Call or text the 24-hour
NATCA CISM Hotline at (202) 505-CISM (2476) and leave your name, location/facility, and
contact information. An email can also be sent to [email protected]. All contact with the CISM
Team is confidential. A NATCA CISM expert will call back as soon as possible. If appropriate,
call involved controller’s families in advance, so they can be prepared to help with the situation.
Revised April 2015
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AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT/INCIDENT CHECKLIST
As appropriate, have someone drive the involved controllers’ home and stay with them if
required.
 Personnel Statements: If management orders controllers to provide statements, they should
comply with the order but contact their RVP ASAP. Prior to writing ATCS Personnel Statements,
listen to voice tapes of each pertinent control position with each controller and review video
replay, if applicable. Provide only a brief outline of pertinent facts (i.e. name, position of
operation, basic events). And include the following statement…“The above statement is true
and factual to the best of my knowledge, based upon the information available to me at
this time."
 OWCP CA-1 Forms & Admin. Leave: In cases when post-incident OWCP leave is required,
ensure that CA-1's are completed and signed by each controller. Make copies for the controller
and FacRep. Give originals to the Supervisor in-Charge. Approval for "continuation-of-pay"(on
the-job-injury) leave may require prompt examination by a specially qualified physician. Contact
the RVP and Regional OWCP Representative immediately if this becomes a concern. If the
member requires medical attention, ensure after completion of the CA-1, the Agency also
provides a CA-16 which authorizes medical care.
 Note: Use the following phrase for describing the injury (Box 13): “Out of and in the course of my Federal
Employment as an Air Traffic Control Specialist, I suffered a traumatic emotional condition when……” (Visit
http://owcp.natca.net for step-by-step guidance in the OWCP FacRep Guide)
 ATSAP: It is recommended that everyone involved file an ATSAP report; however, it is
important that these are factual. Reports related to an accident may be ordered to
be released during the discovery phase of litigation. This has only been done under a
Confidentiality Order from the Judge, but that is not guaranteed as the Judge has a lot
of latitude within his/her own court.
 NASA ASRS: The filing of a NASA ASRS report is NOT recommended. NASA cannot accept
accident reports and is required to send the ASRS report to the NTSB with submitter
contact information so that they can follow up.
 Controller Release: Ask management to release involved controllers from the facility on
Administrative Leave as soon as practical. If denied, have controllers request Sick Leave on
the basis that they are "incapacitated for duty" and advise the RVP as soon as possible.
Negotiate and document agreeable dates & times when each controller is expected to return for
duty, and ensure that the affected controllers can be contacted by the FacRep once released.
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AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT/INCIDENT CHECKLIST
 Drug/Alcohol Testing: Controller release may be delayed pending a decision by the FAA
on whether to test involved controllers for drugs and/or alcohol. Post-accident/incident testing is
a mandatory condition of employment, and must be complied with. Post-accident/incident
testing should be conducted in accordance with criteria contained in Article 73, Section13 of the
CBA. It may take hours to receive the decision to test and longer for DOT contractor's to arrive.
For issues related to drug/alcohol testing, contact the RVP. Controllers are entitled to
representation during the testing process, but must request representation. Please ensure you
advise controllers to request representation for drug/alcohol testing.

Note: NTSB Investigators sometimes ask controllers to take a separate drug test. However, unlike the FAA, the
NTSB does not have defined testing and chain-of-custody procedures. Unlike FAA testing, NTSB requests are not
mandatory and controllers should decline.
 Monitor management's reaction: Be alert for any "pencil-whipping" of training or other records,
or other questionable activities. Advise your RVP or National Office of any such problems.
 Stay Calm: Don't be pressured into bad decisions. Protect controllers aggressively, and
remember you still have your contractual rights. Try to be cooperative and reasonable with
management. Controllers should always comply with direct orders from management! Carefully
document any problems to give the Union solid grounds for addressing it later.
 Call for assistance as needed: If you are unsure about something, don't improvise. Call your
Facrep, Regional ASI, RVP, Assistant RVP, CISM On-call coordinator, Regional OWCP
Representative or National Office for assistance.
Revised April 2015
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AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT/INCIDENT CHECKLIST
ASI’s & Regional Vice Presidents
Alaskan Region
ASI
RVP
Karena Marinas (ZLA)
Scot Morrison
(C) 310-941-6451
(C) 402-770-6233
Central Region
ASI
RVP
Sarah Owens (ZKC)
Kevin Peterson
(C) 913-271-4802
(C) 816-294-5519
Eastern Region
ASI
ASI
RVP
Stephen Abraham (JFK)
Eric Stormfels (PIT)
Phil Barbarello
(C) 914-907-9935
(C) 412-974-9334
(C) 516-381-6424
Great Lakes Region
ASI
RVP
Tim Keck (CLE)
Bryan Zilonis
(C) 559-960-2019
(C) 630-542-5009
New England Region
ASI
RVP
Curt Fischer (A90)
Mike Robicheau
(C) 603-714-5133
(C) 603-533-6456
Northwest Mountain Region
ASI
RVP
Brandon Johnson (SLC)
Jim Ullmann
(C) 386-299-6201
(C) 253-376-2592
Southern Region
ASI
ASI
RVP
Chad Sneve (A80)
Ryan Krejce (ZME)
Victor Santore
(C) 678-464-3036
(C) 901-230-7557
(C) 516-398-6572
Southwest Region
ASI
ASI
RVP
Adam Rhodes (I90)
Bryan Roberts (ZFW)
Tim Smith
(C) 832-314-1560
(C) 817-301-7336
(C) 817-771-5780
Western Pacific Region
ASI
ASI
RVP
Revised April 2015
Karena Marinas (ZLA)
Erika Raun-Linde (NCT)
Ham Ghaffari
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(C) 310-941-6451
(C) 707-980-8828
(C) 661-400-2496
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