走近空難調查員

羅雅丹

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年洛克比空難、2008年8月馬德里空難或1979年美國航空191號班機空難這樣的大空難都曾造成重大人員傷亡。對這樣的大型空難發起調查，不能有半點疏忽。

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.

在英國，空難調查歸口航空事故調查局（AAIB）。該機構負責英國境內民用航空事故和重大飛行事故的調查。它也經常參與軍用飛機事故和海外航空事故調查，尤其當失事飛機是在英國注冊時。AAIB旨在對航空事故和重大飛行事故做出快速反應，領導并管理事故調查組。在官網上，AAIB強調其調查目的在于“確定航空事故和重大飛行事故原因，提出安全建議， 避免重蹈覆轍，以提高航空安全，而并非是為了追究責任”。

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.

空難發生后，AAIB會委派一位空難督查員或調查官來監管調查。空難督查員有法定權力，但必須與警方及應急部門密切合作。他們擁有以下權力：自由進入飛機殘骸和內部結構;立即獲得飛行記錄儀;獲取相關人員或目擊者的宣誓證詞;如果是調查所需，他們還有權扣留飛機，以便完成調查任務。

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.

調查官會組建一個調查團隊，決定成立哪些專家工作小組，并協調、指揮調查工作。

Meet the Go Team

揭秘“快速行動隊”

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、墜落殘骸和火災隱患所帶來的危險外，空難調查員還面臨因接觸血源性病原體而感染的危險。血源性病原體是存在于病人血液、組織或體液內的病毒、細菌和寄生蟲。

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.

這些病原體包括但不限于乙型和丙型肝炎病毒、艾滋病病毒。有些病毒并不會因接觸氧氣或因體液變干而立刻死亡。事實上，有研究證明，特定氣候條件會延長艾滋病病毒的傳染期。

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，在失事飛機殘骸內部或周圍工作的人員，尤其是在傳染病較為常見的國家或地區，必須極其謹慎，盡可能減少與血源性病毒直接接觸。美國國家運輸安全委員會（NTSB）要求調查員必須按照最低防護標準在防滲橡膠手套上加戴厚皮工作手套;在可能接觸血液或人體殘骸時，必須佩戴全面罩和護目鏡，穿一次性工作服和防護靴。

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.

調查員抵達空難現場的速度對找到飛機失事原因至關重要。這也是首席調查員隨時待命的原因所在。

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把隨時待命的調查組命名為“快速行動隊”。AAIB稱之為“現場工作組”，顯得較為低調。它們在性質上相同，都是由專業人員組成，隨時準備奔赴空難現場，協助調查。

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.

大型空難調查可能需要100多位專業人員參與，召集眾多機構、政府部門代表和國際專家協助調查。

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，一個完整的“快速行動隊”由以下領域專家構成：空中交通管制、運行、氣象、人為表現、飛機結構、飛機系統、動力裝置、維修記錄、幸存因素、飛機性能、駕駛艙語音記錄器、飛行數據記錄器和冶金學等。

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.

英國AAIB工作組還可能配有一名醫療顧問，通常是由皇家空軍調派的航空病理學專家。AAIB認為，參與空難調查的病理學家應具備航空和航空醫學知識，以確保不錯過任何關鍵線索。

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.

為了支持調查工作，有時會根據需要增設工作組，負責采訪目擊者、審查飛機救援人員、消防人員的應急反應，以及其他必須調查的任務。除上述人員外，首席調查員還經常召集航空公司、飛機制造商和動力裝置生產商的有關專家，幫助解決調查中出現的各種具體技術問題。

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.

飛機制造商可以幫助調查，找到空難原因。一個典型的例子就是2001年那場導致冉冉升起的節奏藍調新星艾莉雅喪生的空難。一開始，調查人員無法確定失事原因。后經披露，飛機失事時共載有9名乘客，還有超重行李。根據這架塞斯納402B型飛機的制造商公司提供的信息，該機核載人數為6至8人，包括飛行員在內。事故原因就此揭開。

Are air crash investigators ever at risk themselves？

空難調查員身陷危險？

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，空難調查員在應急人員之后一段時間到達現場，面臨的危險相對少很多。當幸存者（如有）從飛機殘骸中被搜救出后，調查員才會進入現場。但是，對失事飛機進行調查仍存在一定危險。搜尋、檢查和記錄殘骸的工作人員可能接觸到危險貨物、易燃或有毒材料和蒸汽、尖銳物或重物、加壓設備，甚至受到疾病的威脅。按照慣例，調查組會先派出一名人員，與警察和消防人員等其他機構人員，進入現場開展安全分析，然后再安排其他人員進入。如果認為危險程度太高，調查員不得進入現場。? ? ? ? ?□

（譯者單位：南京航空航天大學）