Only 140 of 268 Qualifying Air Accidents Have Completed Investigations, ICAO Submission Finds

A 2025 submission to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) found that only 140 of 268 qualifying accidents had completed investigations. The figures cover commercial passenger and cargo operations involving turbine-powered aircraft weighing at least 12,540 pounds, subject to IATA's accident criteria. "I'd have expected to see more efforts to improve the current state of affairs," Mark Searle, IATA's global director of safety, told Reuters.

Under ICAO's Annex 13, investigating authorities are expected to publish final accident reports within 12 months when possible. If an investigation remains incomplete after a year, authorities must release an interim statement on each anniversary of the accident, detailing their progress and any identified safety concerns. Final reports provide findings on the circumstances and contributing factors of accidents, along with recommendations intended to prevent similar occurrences.

A separate Flight Safety Foundation report released in February found that final reports had been published for approximately 58% of airline accidents between 2020 and 2024, falling to 41% for fatal accidents in the same period. That report used a different dataset from IATA's figures. IATA's March 2026 safety report also cited a 63% investigation completion rate for accidents occurring between 2019 and 2023.

Several high-profile investigations remain without final reports, including the June 2025 Air India accident in Ahmedabad that killed 260 people. India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau issued an interim statement on the first anniversary, confirming that additional analysis was underway. No publication date for the final report has been confirmed. IATA has stated that delayed findings can prevent operators, manufacturers and regulators from identifying hazards and implementing measures to reduce the risk of future accidents.