Definition
An official document produced by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) that records the findings of an investigation into a civil aviation accident, including the sequence of events, contributing factors, and the probable cause as determined by the Board.
Plain English
A formal report from the U.S. agency that investigates plane crashes, explaining what happened, why it happened, and what caused it.
Context Anchor
Seen in flight instructor training, accident analysis, safety discussions, and FAA handbook material about how aviation accidents are studied after they occur.
Derivation
The NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) is an independent U.S. government agency established in 1967 to investigate transportation accidents. The word 'accident' comes from the Latin 'accidere', meaning 'to happen' or 'to fall upon' — an unplanned event. Knowing the NTSB's role as the investigating body clarifies why its reports carry official weight.
Why Pilots Care
Pilots and instructors study these reports to identify decision-making or procedural errors that contributed to real accidents, allowing them to apply those lessons directly to their own flying and teaching.
Intuition Check
Do not read “accident report” as just a news story or a simple incident summary. In this context, it means an official safety investigation document from the NTSB, focused on facts, causes, and prevention.
Example Sentence 1
The instructor used a recent NTSB Accident Report to show students how a chain of small decisions led to a runway excursion.
Example Sentence 2
Reviewing the NTSB Accident Report helped the student understand why the pilot’s weather decision proved fatal.