Joint Committee on Aviation Pathology: I. Fatal aircraft accidents.

The Department of Aviation Pathology was established at RAF Halton in 1955, and is now 21 years old; the early history of aviation pathology and the establishment of the department following the Comet disaster in 1954 are briefly recounted. The past work of the department and possible future trends are discussed, including the importance of helicopter accidents, the value of periodical medical examination, the problems in large passenger aircraft crashes and the subsequent medico-legal difficulties.