This project studies aircraft accident reports, including both commercial and general aviation. It uses participant observation, content analyses of reports, and interviews with investigators. The overall aim is to assess the effects of institutional culture in shaping the choice of accidents to investigate, factors investigated and, possibly, causes of the accidents that are identified. The study follows in the sociological tradition of institutional factors in "normal accidents," the kinds and rates that come to be expected in various industries. Several hypotheses relating institutional culture and structure to the investigations will be assessed.
