The Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation Department (AAIID) is responsible for investigating aircraft accidents and incidents in Eswatini. They are mandated to do so in accordance with Article 26 of the Chicago Convention of 1944 which requires Eswatini to investigate any event involving the operation of aircraft within its territory.

The AAIID functionally reports directly to the Minister of Public Works and Transport and is administratively housed within the Eswatini Civil Aviation Authority.

As prescribed in ICAO Annex 13, the sole objective of the investigation of an aircraft accident or incident shall be the prevention of accidents and incidents, not to apportion blame or liability.

Upon receipt of notification of occurrence:

• AAIID will determine whether or not an investigation is warranted;
• If an investigation is not feasible, AAIID will capture the details of the occurrence in the database for future analyses and trends monitoring;
• If the decision is to investigate, AAIID will determine the scope and extent of the investigation;
• AAIID will conduct the investigation in accordance ICAO Standards And Recommended Practices (SARPs), State Legislation and Regulations;
• AAIID will produce and publish on the website, a final report of the investigation.

The Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigations Department (AAIID) should be notified without delay within 24 hours of any Occurrence within the territory of the Kingdom of Eswatini involving any aircraft, either bearing local or foreign registration.

All notifications should be forwarded using the 24-hour contact information given on the website. This notification could be in the form of a telephone call or e-mail. In the event of an occurrence, it is most probable that one or more of the following will notify the Civil Aviation Authority and Aircraft Accident Investigation Department (AAIID):

1. Air Traffic Controller
2. Owner/Operator
3. Aircraft pilot/surviving crew members
4. Handling agent/Maintenance organization
5. Police/Local Authority
6. Eyewitness

The legal responsibility for notification of an occurrence rests first with the commander of the aircraft or, if he is deceased or incapacitated, then the operator.

If the Incident occurs on or adjacent to an aerodrome, then the aerodrome operator is also required to notify the Incident. The notification is required to be passed to the Authority by the quickest means and giving, as far as possible, the required information mentioned in the paragraph below.

When submitting a notification to the investigations office, the relevant person shall provide the following information, as far as practicable:

1. For accidents the identifying abbreviation ACCID, for serious incidents INCID;
2. Manufacturer, model, nationality and registration marks, and serial number of the aircraft;
3. Name of owner, operator and hirer, if any, of the aircraft;
4. Qualification of the pilot-in-command, and nationality of crew and passengers;
5. Date and time (local time or UTC) of the incident;
6. Last point of departure and point of intended landing of the aircraft;
7. Position of the aircraft with reference to some easily defined geographical point and latitude and longitude;
8. Number of crew and passengers on-board that were seriously injured or killed;
9. Description of the accident or serious incident and the extent of damage to the aircraft so far as is known;
10. Physical characteristics of the accident or  serious  incident  area,  as  well  as  an  indication  of  access difficulties or special requirements to reach the site;
11. Identification of the originating authority and means to contact the investigator-in-charge and the Incident investigation authority of the State of Occurrence at any time;
12. Presence and description of dangerous goods on board the aircraft; and
13. Any additional information.

The Civil Aviation Act 2022 (Act No.4 of 2022)  Click here to view

The Civil Aviation Authority (Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation) Regulations. 2013  Click here to view