走近空难调查员

罗雅丹

When it comes to planning investigations into major aeroplane crashes such as Lockerbie in 1988， the Madrid crash in August 2008 or the Chicago OHare crash1 from 1979， all of which involved a tremendous loss of life， nothing can be left to chance.

諸如1988年洛克比空难、2008年8月马德里空难或1979年美国航空191号班机空难这样的大空难都曾造成重大人员伤亡。对这样的大型空难发起调查，不能有半点疏忽。

In the UK， aeroplane crashes come under the domain of The Air Accidents Investigation Branch （AAIB）， which is responsible for the investigation of civil aircraft accidents and serious incidents within the UK. They are also often called upon to assist in military incidents as well as aviation accidents overseas， especially where British registered planes are involved. Their aim is to respond quickly to air accidents and serious incidents and lead and manage the accident investigation team. On their website， the AAIB stresses that the aim of an investigation is ‘to improve aviation safety by determining the causes of air accidents and serious incidents and making safety recommendations intended to prevent recurrence—it is not to apportion2 blame or liability.

在英国，空难调查归口航空事故调查局（AAIB）。该机构负责英国境内民用航空事故和重大飞行事故的调查。它也经常参与军用飞机事故和海外航空事故调查，尤其当失事飞机是在英国注册时。AAIB旨在对航空事故和重大飞行事故做出快速反应，领导并管理事故调查组。在官网上，AAIB强调其调查目的在于“确定航空事故和重大飞行事故原因，提出安全建议， 避免重蹈覆辙，以提高航空安全，而并非是为了追究责任”。

After a crash has happened the AAIB will appoint an Inspector of Air Accidents or the Investigator-in-Charge to oversee the investigation. The Inspector of Air Accidents has legal powers， but must work closely with the Police and Emergency Services. Just some of the powers they have are： free access to the aircraft wreckage and its contents; immediate access to flight recorders3 and the ability to take sworn statements from those involved or eye witnesses. They also have the authority to impound an aircraft if they believe it is necessary for the success of the investigation.

空难发生后，AAIB会委派一位空难督查员或调查官来监管调查。空难督查员有法定权力，但必须与警方及应急部门密切合作。他们拥有以下权力：自由进入飞机残骸和内部结构;立即获得飞行记录仪;获取相关人员或目击者的宣誓证词;如果是调查所需，他们还有权扣留飞机，以便完成调查任务。

The Investigator-in-Charge will assemble a team of investigators and decide which specialist working groups are required and will co-ordinate and direct the efforts of the groups.

调查官会组建一个调查团队，决定成立哪些专家工作小组，并协调、指挥调查工作。

Meet the Go Team

揭秘“快速行动队”

Aside from the danger of toxic parts， falling wreckage and fire hazards， another major danger for air crash investigators is the risk of being exposed to disease from blood-borne4 pathogens5. Blood-borne pathogens are viruses， bacteria， and parasites that are present in the blood， tissue， or other body fluids of infected persons.

除有毒部件、坠落残骸和火灾隐患所带来的危险外，空难调查员还面临因接触血源性病原体而感染的危险。血源性病原體是存在于病人血液、组织或体液内的病毒、细菌和寄生虫。

They could include， but are not limited to the hepatitis B and C virus （HBV） and HIV， which causes AIDS. Some of these viruses do not die upon contact with oxygen or when the fluids dry out. Studies， in fact， show that certain climatic conditions may prolong the infectiousness of HIV.

这些病原体包括但不限于乙型和丙型肝炎病毒、艾滋病病毒。有些病毒并不会因接触氧气或因体液变干而立刻死亡。事实上，有研究证明，特定气候条件会延长艾滋病病毒的传染期。

Therefore， those working in or around the wreckage of a crash site， particularly in countries or regions of the world where infectious diseases are more common， must use extreme caution to minimize direct contact with blood-borne viruses. The National Transport Safety Board in the US states that at a minimum， heavy leather work gloves over non-permeable rubber gloves should be used， also stressing that when investigators are likely to come into contact with blood or human remains， full face masks， protective goggles6， and disposable overalls and boots must be worn.

因此，在失事飞机残骸内部或周围工作的人员，尤其是在传染病较为常见的国家或地区，必须极其谨慎，尽可能减少与血源性病毒直接接触。美国国家运输安全委员会（NTSB）要求调查员必须按照最低防护标准在防渗橡胶手套上加戴厚皮工作手套;在可能接触血液或人体残骸时，必须佩戴全面罩和护目镜，穿一次性工作服和防护靴。

The speed with which investigators can get to the scene of a disaster is crucial in helping to pinpoint the cause of a plane crash， which is why lead investigators are on-call for immediate assignment.

调查员抵达空难现场的速度对找到飞机失事原因至关重要。这也是首席调查员随时待命的原因所在。

The National Transport Safety Board in the US refers to their standby team as the ‘Go Team， while the AAIB in the UK refers to it somewhat less glamorously as the ‘Field team. They are both essentially the same—a team of investigation specialists on hand to co-ordinate the investigation of an aeroplane crash.

NTSB把随时待命的调查组命名为“快速行动队”。AAIB称之为“现场工作组”，显得较为低调。它们在性质上相同，都是由专业人员组成，随时准备奔赴空难现场，协助调查。

On major crashes there could be more than 100 people with expert knowledge required， with representatives from numerous agencies， government departments and international specialists all called in to help.

大型空难调查可能需要100多位专业人员参与，召集众多机构、政府部门代表和国际专家协助调查。

Typically， a full Go Team may consist of the following specialists： air traffic control， operations， meteorology7， human performance， structures， systems， powerplants， maintenance records， survival factors， aircraft performance， cockpit voice recorder （CVR）， flight data recorder （FDR）， and metallurgy8 experts.

通常，一个完整的“快速行动队”由以下领域专家构成：空中交通管制、运行、气象、人为表现、飞机结构、飞机系统、动力装置、维修记录、幸存因素、飞机性能、驾驶舱语音记录器、飞行数据记录器和冶金学等。

In the United Kingdom the AAIB team may also include a medical adviser. This person is usually， but not exclusively， a specialist in aviation pathology seconded9 from the Royal Air Force （RAF） because， the AAIB argues， it is important for the pathologist dealing with an air accident to have knowledge of aviation and aviation medicine so as to not miss any vital evidence that could be crucial to an investigation.

英国AAIB工作组还可能配有一名医疗顾问，通常是由皇家空军调派的航空病理学专家。AAIB认为，参与空难调查的病理学家应具备航空和航空医学知识，以确保不错过任何关键线索。

Additional groups may be formed to interview witnesses， examine the response of aircraft rescue and firefighting （ARFF） personnel， or other duties， as required， to support the investigation. In addition to these experts， the lead air crash investigator will often also call in experts from the plane operating company， aircraft manufacturer and powerplant manufacturers， so that they can assist in any detailed technical issues raised.

为了支持调查工作，有时会根据需要增设工作组，负责采访目击者、审查飞机救援人员、消防人员的应急反应，以及其他必须调查的任务。除上述人员外，首席调查员还经常召集航空公司、飞机制造商和动力装置生产商的有关专家，帮助解决调查中出现的各种具体技术问题。

A good example of a plane manufacturers effectiveness in helping to solve the cause of a plane crash can be seen in the crash that killed rising R&B10 star Aaliyah in 2001. In the immediate aftermath investigators were unsure what caused the crash， however， when the number of passengers on board was revealed—nine， plus lots of additional baggage—the manufacturers of the Cessna 402B plane revealed that the plane was only licensed to carry between six and eight people， including a pilot.

飞机制造商可以帮助调查，找到空难原因。一个典型的例子就是2001年那场导致冉冉升起的节奏蓝调新星艾莉雅丧生的空难。一开始，调查人员无法确定失事原因。后经披露，飞机失事时共载有9名乘客，还有超重行李。根据这架塞斯纳402B型飞机的制造商公司提供的信息，该机核载人数为6至8人，包括飞行员在内。事故原因就此揭开。

Are air crash investigators ever at risk themselves？

空难调查员身陷危险？

Typically， air craft investigators arrive at the scene a short time after the emergency services， which face a far greater risk. Air Crash Investigators do not approach the site until all survivors—if any—have been recovered from the wreckage. However， there are some risks involved when conducting an investigation into a plane crash. Those involved in the recovery， examination， and documentation of wreckage may find themselves exposed to physical risk from such things as hazardous cargo， flammable or toxic materials and vapors， sharp or heavy objects， pressurized equipment， and even disease. Typically， a member of the investigation team—in conjunction with other agencies at the scene， such as police and fire departments， will conduct a safety analysis before allowing additional people onto the crash site—if the risks are deemed too high then the site remains out of bounds for investigators.

通常，空難调查员在应急人员之后一段时间到达现场，面临的危险相对少很多。当幸存者（如有）从飞机残骸中被搜救出后，调查员才会进入现场。但是，对失事飞机进行调查仍存在一定危险。搜寻、检查和记录残骸的工作人员可能接触到危险货物、易燃或有毒材料和蒸汽、尖锐物或重物、加压设备，甚至受到疾病的威胁。按照惯例，调查组会先派出一名人员，与警察和消防人员等其他机构人员，进入现场开展安全分析，然后再安排其他人员进入。如果认为危险程度太高，调查员不得进入现场。         □

（译者单位：南京航空航天大学）