The accident/injury matrix: a tool for aircraft accident investigation.

An accident/injury matrix developed for use in automobile accidents was modified for use in aviation. The matrix subdivides an accident into three temporal phases: preaccident, accident, and postaccident. Each temporal phase is then further divided into specific factors: human, environmental, aircraft, and life support equipment. This form of analysis will assist in determining the chain of events in an accident and serve as a logical tool for developing future preventive strategies. Use of the matrix is explained and examples are given for each cell produced by the subdivisions.