49 CFReCFR Oct 9, 2026
Part 830
Notification and Reporting of Aircraft Accidents or Incidents and Overdue Aircraft, and Preservation of Aircraft Wreckage, Mail, Cargo, and Records
6 Sections§§ 830.1–830.15
Subpart A General
§ 830.1 Applicability.
This part contains rules pertaining to:
Initial notification and later reporting of aircraft incidents and accidents and certain other occurrences in the operation of aircraft, wherever they occur, when they involve civil aircraft of the United States; when they involve certain public aircraft, as specified in this part, wherever they occur; and when they involve foreign civil aircraft where the events occur in the United States, its territories, or its possessions.
Preservation of aircraft wreckage, mail, cargo, and records involving all civil and certain public aircraft accidents, as specified in this part, in the United States and its territories or possessions.
§ 830.2 Definitions.
As used in this part the following words or phrases are defined as follows:
Aircraft accident means an occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft which takes place between the time any person boards the aircraft with the intention of flight and all such persons have disembarked, and in which any person suffers death or serious injury, or in which the aircraft receives substantial damage. For purposes of this part, the definition of “aircraft accident” includes “unmanned aircraft accident,” as defined herein.
Civil aircraft means any aircraft other than a public aircraft.
Fatal injury means any injury which results in death within 30 days of the accident.
Incident means an occurrence other than an accident, associated with the operation of an aircraft, which affects or could affect the safety of operations.
Operator means any person who causes or authorizes the operation of an aircraft, such as the owner, lessee, or bailee of an aircraft.
Public aircraft means an aircraft used only for the United States Government, or an aircraft owned and operated (except for commercial purposes) or exclusively leased for at least 90 continuous days by a government other than the United States Government, including a State, the District of Columbia, a territory or possession of the United States, or a political subdivision of that government. “Public aircraft” does not include a government-owned aircraft transporting property for commercial purposes and does not include a government-owned aircraft transporting passengers other than: transporting (for other than commercial purposes) crewmembers or other persons aboard the aircraft whose presence is required to perform, or is associated with the performance of, a governmental function such as firefighting, search and rescue, law enforcement, aeronautical research, or biological or geological resource management; or transporting (for other than commercial purposes) persons aboard the aircraft if the aircraft is operated by the Armed Forces or an intelligence agency of the United States. Notwithstanding any limitation relating to use of the aircraft for commercial purposes, an aircraft shall be considered to be a public aircraft without regard to whether it is operated by a unit of government on behalf of another unit of government pursuant to a cost reimbursement agreement, if the unit of government on whose behalf the operation is conducted certifies to the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration that the operation was necessary to respond to a significant and imminent threat to life or property (including natural resources) and that no service by a private operator was reasonably available to meet the threat.
Serious injury means any injury which: (1) Requires hospitalization for more than 48 hours, commencing within 7 days from the date of the injury was received; (2) results in a fracture of any bone (except simple fractures of fingers, toes, or nose); (3) causes severe hemorrhages, nerve, muscle, or tendon damage; (4) involves any internal organ; or (5) involves second- or third-degree burns, or any burns affecting more than 5 percent of the body surface.
Substantial damage means damage or failure which adversely affects the structural strength, performance, or flight characteristics of the aircraft, and which would normally require major repair or replacement of the affected component. Engine failure or damage limited to an engine if only one engine fails or is damaged, bent fairings or cowling, dented skin, small punctured holes in the skin or fabric, ground damage to rotor or propeller blades, and damage to landing gear, wheels, tires, flaps, engine accessories, brakes, or wingtips are not considered “substantial damage” for the purpose of this part.
Unmanned aircraft accident means an occurrence associated with the operation of any public or civil unmanned aircraft system that takes place between the time that the system is activated with the purpose of flight and the time that the system is deactivated at the conclusion of its mission, in which:
Any person suffers death or serious injury; or
The aircraft holds an airworthiness certificate and sustains substantial damage.
Subpart B Initial Notification of Aircraft Accidents, Incidents, and Overdue Aircraft
§ 830.5 Immediate notification.
The operator of any civil aircraft, or any public aircraft not operated by the Armed Forces or an intelligence agency of the United States, or any foreign aircraft shall immediately, and by the most expeditious means available, notify the nearest National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) office, 1 when:
An aircraft accident or any of the following listed serious incidents occur:
Flight control system malfunction or failure;
Inability of any required flight crewmember to perform normal flight duties as a result of injury or illness;
Failure of any internal turbine engine component that results in the escape of debris other than out the exhaust path;
In-flight fire;
Aircraft collision in flight;
Damage to property, other than the aircraft, estimated to exceed $25,000 for repair (including materials and labor) or fair market value in the event of total loss, whichever is less.
For large multiengine aircraft (more than 12,500 pounds maximum certificated takeoff weight):
In-flight failure of electrical systems which requires the sustained use of an emergency bus powered by a back-up source such as a battery, auxiliary power unit, or air-driven generator to retain flight control or essential instruments;
In-flight failure of hydraulic systems that results in sustained reliance on the sole remaining hydraulic or mechanical system for movement of flight control surfaces;
Sustained loss of the power or thrust produced by two or more engines; and
An evacuation of an aircraft in which an emergency egress system is utilized.
Release of all or a portion of a propeller blade from an aircraft, excluding release caused solely by ground contact;
A complete loss of information, excluding flickering, from more than 50 percent of an aircraft's cockpit displays known as:
Electronic Flight Instrument System (EFIS) displays;
Engine Indication and Crew Alerting System (EICAS) displays;
Electronic Centralized Aircraft Monitor (ECAM) displays; or
Other displays of this type, which generally include a primary flight display (PFD), primary navigation display (PND), and other integrated displays;
Airborne Collision and Avoidance System (ACAS) resolution advisories issued when an aircraft is being operated on an instrument flight rules flight plan and compliance with the advisory is necessary to avert a substantial risk of collision between two or more aircraft.
Damage to helicopter tail or main rotor blades, including ground damage, that requires major repair or replacement of the blade(s);
Any event in which an operator, when operating an airplane as an air carrier at a public-use airport on land:
Lands or departs on a taxiway, incorrect runway, or other area not designed as a runway; or
Experiences a runway incursion that requires the operator or the crew of another aircraft or vehicle to take immediate corrective action to avoid a collision.
An aircraft is overdue and is believed to have been involved in an accident.
§ 830.6 Information to be given in notification.
The notification required in § 830.5 shall contain the following information, if available:
Type, nationality, and registration marks of the aircraft;
Name of owner, and operator of the aircraft;
Name of the pilot-in-command;
Date and time of the accident;
Last point of departure and point of intended landing of the aircraft;
Position of the aircraft with reference to some easily defined geographical point;
Number of persons aboard, number killed, and number seriously injured;
Nature of the accident, the weather and the extent of damage to the aircraft, so far as is known; and
A description of any explosives, radioactive materials, or other dangerous articles carried.
Subpart C Preservation of Aircraft Wreckage, Mail, Cargo, and Records
§ 830.10 Preservation of aircraft wreckage, mail, cargo, and records.
The operator of an aircraft involved in an accident or incident for which notification must be given is responsible for preserving to the extent possible any aircraft wreckage, cargo, and mail aboard the aircraft, and all records, including all recording mediums of flight, maintenance, and voice recorders, pertaining to the operation and maintenance of the aircraft and to the airmen until the Board takes custody thereof or a release is granted pursuant to § 831.12(b) of this chapter.
Prior to the time the Board or its authorized representative takes custody of aircraft wreckage, mail, or cargo, such wreckage, mail, or cargo may not be disturbed or moved except to the extent necessary:
To remove persons injured or trapped;
To protect the wreckage from further damage; or
To protect the public from injury.
Where it is necessary to move aircraft wreckage, mail or cargo, sketches, descriptive notes, and photographs shall be made, if possible, of the original positions and condition of the wreckage and any significant impact marks.
The operator of an aircraft involved in an accident or incident shall retain all records, reports, internal documents, and memoranda dealing with the accident or incident, until authorized by the Board to the contrary.
Subpart D Reporting of Aircraft Accidents, Incidents, and Overdue Aircraft
§ 830.15 Reports and statements to be filed.
Reports. The operator of a civil, public (as specified in § 830.5), or foreign aircraft shall file a report on Board Form 6120. 1/2 (OMB No. 3147-0001) 2 within 10 days after an accident, or after 7 days if an overdue aircraft is still missing. A report on an incident for which immediate notification is required by § 830.5(a) shall be filed only as requested by an authorized representative of the Board.
Crewmember statement. Each crewmember, if physically able at the time the report is submitted, shall attach a statement setting forth the facts, conditions, and circumstances relating to the accident or incident as they appear to him. If the crewmember is incapacitated, he shall submit the statement as soon as he is physically able.
Where to file the reports. The operator of an aircraft shall file any report with the field office of the Board nearest the accident or incident.