What the aircrew automated escape system and aircrew life support system equipment designers need from the investigating medical officer and pathologist.

A major problem apparent in many safety investigation reports concerning aviation mishaps, and especially in their component Flight Surgeon's Reports (FSRs), is the failure of the investigators to recognize needs beyond those of their immediate organizational structures and chains of command in conducting the investigation, and reporting the resultant facts and findings. If aircrew losses and serious injuries are to be reduced, other needs must also be considered and addressed. These additional needs include those of aircrew automated escape system (AAES) and aircrew life support system (ALSS) acquisition personnel who formulate, design, and test requirements, and AAES and ALSS designers and manufacturers who need to know how well and under what conditions of use their equipment is performing. Each mishap, in a sense, constitutes an extremely costly yet highly realistic test of the AAES and ALSS involved. If properly and thoroughly examined, these mishaps will yield exceptionally valuable insights into AAES and ALSS problems and successes and the reasons underlying system behavioral differences. This paper discusses a number of the AAES and ALSS community's needs which investigating medical officers should consider if the U.S. Navy is to gain from these expensive and often tragic mishaps.