The Importance of Accident Investigation in Aviation Safety

The purpose of an accident investigation is to determine what happened and how it can be avoided in the future. What makes the NTSB a reactive organization in terms of accident/incident investigation (after the fact) yet, still be a proactive safety organization? What makes the NTSB a reactive organization in terms of accident and incident investigation is the NTSB can't predict when an accident or incident is going to occur. the organization can't see into the future so they can't be at the scene before the accident. What makes them a proactive safety organization is once the investigation is complete the NTSB doesn't stop there, they make recommendations to maybe prevent a similar accident or incident from happening in the future. The NTSB has no authority to regulate laws or regulations (History of the NTSB). But with the success of the NTSB most of the recommendations are used and turned into law or regulations. How do the involuntary and voluntary reporting systems interact with aviation safety? Involuntary reporting systems interact with aviation safety by taking the guess work out of "should I report this or not". If the issue is serious enough, then the policies that are set by the organization should make the decision for the personnel. For example, when it come to FOD, if I were to lose a tool or break something I am required to report it to my higher authority if I am unable to find it. Voluntary reporting systems allow the employee to report something they might think could be a serious matter if left unattended. This allows the higher authorities to track trends in the origination to hopefully stop a serious accident or incident before it occurs.