Air accident investigator

You'll usually need a degree or postgraduate qualification in engineering or a related subject.

Courses include:

• aerospace engineering
• aeronautical engineering
• electrical or electronic engineering
• mechanical engineering
• physics
• mathematics

You may be able to do a postgraduate course in safety and accident investigation, which covers air transport.

Some investigator roles look at the part played by human factors in an incident, and a degree and postgraduate qualification in psychology or human factors would be useful for these.

As well as a university qualification, you'll need several years' experience of working in aircraft engineering.

A pilot's licence may also be required for some roles, like an air accident operations inspector.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 2 or 3 A levels, or equivalent, including maths

• a degree in a relevant subject for postgraduate study

More Information

• equivalent entry requirements|https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/list-of-qualification-levels
• student finance for fees and living costs|https://www.gov.uk/student-finance
• university courses and entry requirements|https://www.ucas.com/

You can apply directly to become an air accident investigator.

If you want to work as an operations inspector, managing an accident response team, you’ll need a pilot’s licence and flying experience.

To be an engineering investigator or flight data recorder inspector, you’ll need a relevant engineering degree or postgraduate qualification and several years’ recent experience in aerospace engineering.

You can also take short courses in accident investigation techniques, which may help broaden your knowledge of the role and skills required.

Further information

You can find out more about how to become an investigator from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch .

As an air accident investigator, you could:

• co-ordinate a team's response to an incident
• recover and analyse data from flight recorders and instruments
• gather flight radar information along with footage from video or photos
• use drones to survey accident sites
• reassemble or dismantle wreckage to look for clues
• manage the different stages of an investigation
• speak sensitively with victims, witnesses and bereaved relatives
• write accident reports
• make safety recommendations to regulators and the industry
• act as an expert witness at inquests and official inquiries

You could work in remote rural areas, in an aircraft hangar, in a laboratory or in an office.

Your working environment may be physically and emotionally demanding and you'll travel often.

You may need to wear protective clothing.