§2255 — Title 10 Armed Forces | U.S. Code

§2255 Aircraft accident investigation boards: composition requirements

Title 10 › Subtitle Subtitle A— - General Military Law › Part PART IV— - SERVICE, SUPPLY, AND PROPERTY › Chapter CHAPTER 134— - MISCELLANEOUS ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER II— - MISCELLANEOUS ADMINISTRATIVE AUTHORITY › § 2255

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

When the Secretary of a military department sets up a board to investigate a Class A aircraft accident, the Secretary must pick members so most come from units other than the unit involved in the crash (if the board has one member, that member must be from outside the mishap unit). If the board has more than one person, at least one member must be in the armed forces or a DoD officer or employee who knows about aircraft accident investigations. The Secretary can waive the outside-members rule if the crash is in a remote place, there is an urgent need to start the probe, or no qualified people outside the mishap unit are available — and only if the board’s fairness won’t be harmed. A single-member board must consult a qualified military or DoD expert. The Secretary must decide within 60 days whether an accident is a Class A. Class A accident: causes death or permanent disability, causes damage above the amount set by the Secretary of Defense, or destroys the aircraft. Mishap unit: the squadron, battalion, or equivalent unit the flight crew belonged to.

Title 10, §2255

Armed Forces — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Whenever the Secretary of a military department convenes an aircraft accident investigation board to conduct an accident investigation (as described in section 2254(a)(2) of this title) with respect to a Class A accident involving an aircraft under the jurisdiction of the Secretary, the Secretary shall select the membership of the board so that—

(1)a majority of the members (or in the case of a board consisting of a single member, the member) is selected from units other than the mishap unit or a unit subordinate to the mishap unit; and

(2)in the case of a board consisting of more than one member, at least one member of the board is a member of the armed forces or an officer or an employee of the Department of Defense who possesses knowledge and expertise relevant to aircraft accident investigations.

(b)The Secretary of the military department concerned may waive the requirement of subsection (a)(1) in the case of an aircraft accident if the Secretary determines that—

(1)it is not practicable to meet the requirement because of—

(A)the remote location of the aircraft accident;

(B)an urgent need to promptly begin the investigation; or

(C)a lack of available persons outside of the mishap unit who have adequate knowledge and expertise regarding the type of aircraft involved in the accident; and

(2)the objectivity and independence of the aircraft accident investigation board will not be compromised.

(c)In the case of an aircraft accident investigation board consisting of a single member, the member shall consult with a member of the armed forces or an officer or an employee of the Department of Defense who possesses knowledge and expertise relevant to aircraft accident investigations.

(d)Not later than 60 days after an aircraft accident involving an aircraft under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of a military department, the Secretary shall determine whether the aircraft accident should be designated as a Class A accident for purposes of this section.

(e)In this section:

(1)The term “Class A accident” means an accident involving an aircraft that results in—

(A)the loss of life or permanent disability;

(B)damages to the aircraft, other property, or a combination of both, in an amount in excess of the amount specified by the Secretary of Defense for purposes of determining Class A accidents; or

(C)the destruction of the aircraft.

(2)The term “mishap unit”, with respect to an aircraft accident investigation, means the unit of the armed forces (at the squadron or battalion level or equivalent) to which was assigned the flight crew of the aircraft that sustained the accident that is the subject of the investigation.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2003—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 108–136 struck out par. (1) designation before “The Secretary”, redesignated subpars. (A) and (B) of former par. (1) as pars. (1) and (2), respectively, redesignated cls. (i) to (iii) of former subpar. (A) as subpars. (A) to (C), respectively, of par. (1), and struck out par. (2) which read as follows: “The Secretary shall notify Congress of a waiver exercised under this subsection and the reasons therefor.”

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Pub. L. 104–201, div. A, title IX, § 911(b), Sept. 23, 1996, 110 Stat. 2622, provided that: “Section 2255 of title 10, United States Code, as added by subsection (a), shall apply with respect to any aircraft accident investigation board convened by the Secretary of a military department after the end of the six-month period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act [Sept. 23, 1996].”