Incident Notification
The Agenzia Nazionale per la Sicurezza del Volo (ANSV), Italy's aviation safety investigation authority, notified the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) of an incident involving an ATR 72 aircraft. The incident occurred on August 7, 2015. The NTSB subsequently appointed a U.S. Accredited Representative to assist the ANSV in its investigation.
Role of the Accredited Representative
The appointment was made under the provisions of ICAO Annex 13 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation. According to Annex 13, the State of Manufacture of an aircraft or its components may appoint an accredited representative to participate in an investigation conducted by the State of Occurrence. In this case, the United States is the State of Manufacturer and Design of the propeller autofeather unit, a component of the aircraft involved in the incident.
Investigative Jurisdiction
The ANSV retained full authority over the investigation. All investigative information, findings, and results will be released exclusively by the ANSV. The NTSB's role is limited to providing technical assistance and expertise related to the propeller autofeather unit.
Context of ICAO Annex 13
ICAO Annex 13 establishes international standards for aircraft accident and incident investigation. It allows for the participation of representatives from states with a special interest in the investigation, such as the State of Registry, State of the Operator, State of Design, and State of Manufacture. The cooperation between ANSV and NTSB ensures that technical knowledge about the component in question is available to the investigating authority.