Yes I do understand jurisdiction; a lot more than you do or probably ever will.
One of Arizona's brightest lights asserts himself!
NTSB jurisdiction at an accident scene is not exclusive. It only took me a few minutes to find this link:
http://frwebgate6.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/w...action=retrieve
Pay particular attention to this tidbit. I added the emphasis:
"(3) This section and sections 1113, 1116B, 1133, and 1134( a) and
( c)-(e) of this title do not affect the authority of another department,
agency, or instrumentality of the Government to investigate an accident
under applicable law or
to obtain information directly from the parties
involved in, and witnesses to, the accident. The Board and other departments, agencies, and instrumentalities shall ensure that
appropriate information developed about the accident is exchanged in a
timely manner."
I better notify Herndon. It turns out that the Alpa Central Air Safety committee is wrong! Thank you so much for the ten minutes you spent on Yahoo. And rest assured, I did "pay particular attention" to your "tidbit." After all your earnest work, I can barely bring myself to point out that your feverish research was all for naught. You truly are addicted to playing the fool.
Perhaps you should "pay particular attention" to the phrase
under applicable law in your term paper. Or is the above paragraph the final word on every accident from a freight train to a cessna 150 to a Greyhound bus to a 747? An obvious question would be if your cut and pasted regulation gives police authority to "investigate" airline accidents by disturbing the wreckage or taking the recorder boxes back to the station house for analysis?
At an accident scene, pilots are required to comply with police requests for identification and licenses, as well as for drug and alcohol tests. That is it. Pilots are not required to make any statement or answer any questions from the police or any other investigative agency, with one exception.
After an accident, pilots are required to make a statement to the NTSB, and the NTSB only. Under accepted NTSB protocol, this is never done at the accident scene. Alpa's Air Safety people remove the pilots from the scene and get them to a safe, comfortable place. Before the pilot makes a statement to the NTSB, he is provided with representation from Alpa's Legal and Safety departments. The statement to NTSB never takes place the same day as the accident. This is for the obvious reason that crew members are unlikely to be thinking clearly in the immediate aftermath.
The Alpa response team at the 5050 site followed established protocol, which the NTSB fully agreed with. The local law enforcement personnel were insistent on questioning the pilots on scene, and the Alpa reps properly stood up for the crew and removed them from the airport.
Your slanderous accusation that the 5050 pilots "fled the scene of the accident" in an act of "treachery" is disgusting. Your small minded ignorance says so very much about you.
Since you're into research, the number for Alpa in Herndon is 703-689-2270. Ask for the Central Air Safety office and they can tell you how things actually work. No need to come back on here and apologize.
So I'd say yes...that if a cop happens upon an accident scene, then there is absolutely nothing in the Federal statutes that would stop the officer from detaining a pilot and investigating provided, of course, that the threshold requirements of the 4th and 5th Amendments are met.
Thank you, Clarence Darrow. :down: