Current as of December 1, 2025
Background
ACC Flight Safety (ACC/SEF) is based at Langley AFB, VA. Staffed by highly experienced safety professionals, ACC/SEF oversees ACC aviation mishap investigations, risk management, and mishap prevention programs for the Commander of ACC (COMACC) to preserve combat capability.
As lead command, ACC has approximately 1,050 aircraft and 155,000 personnel worldwide. ACC operates a variety of aircraft including fighters (A-10, F-15, F-16, F-22, & F-35) and other specialized weapon systems (C-130 variants, C-135 variants, E-3, EA-37B, E-9, E-11, HH-60, MQ-9, P-9, RQ-4, T-38, & U-2).
The Air Force classifies mishaps from Class A (most severe) to E (least severe), based on damage cost and injuries. The severity of the mishap determines the composition of the Safety Investigation Board (SIB). Below is the breakdown of mishap classes and thresholds:
Class A: $2.5M or greater, destruction of a DoD aircraft, a fatality, or permanent total disability
Class B: $600,000-$2.5M or permanent partial disability
Class C: $60,000-$600,000
Class D: $25,000-$60,000
Class E: <$25,000
Safety Investigation Board (SIB)
When a Class A mishap occurs, ACC/SEF will assemble a SIB led by a senior officer (Board President) and consist of other officers, enlisted airmen and technical experts who are designated board members. ACC/ SEF selects the board members and provides administrative oversight of the team from day one through the final processes of the investigation. The SIB is also augmented by the USAF Safety Center (AFSEC) with investigative guidance and technical assistance. The SIB is convened within days of the mishap and is given approximately thirty days to return its assessment. The SIB will normally spend the first week to ten days gathering factual data at the crash site and interviewing witnesses. The next two weeks are used to develop and refine the SIB's findings and recommendations. Finally, the SIB prepares and presents their conclusions to the convening authority (ACC) for acceptance or is directed to investigate further.
The SIB's conclusions and recommendations must only reflect the best professional judgment of the board members. SIB members are specifically selected because they are trained safety professionals who are subject matter experts with the maintenance, operational roles, employment and mission of the mishap weapon system.
Safety investigations are needed to quickly assess the impact on a weapons system's ability to fulfill its national defense role and prevent a future mishap. Additionally, safety investigators are given wide-ranging freedoms to assist in quickly moving to conclusions. For example, SIB's have the authority to take testimony under the promise of confidentiality and to deliberate on causes and recommendations without bearing a substantial burden of proof.
The SIB report is prepared in two parts. The first part is purely factual, and the second part is privileged, meaning it is to be used solely for mishap prevention and is restricted from release outside the United States Air Force. The privileged part contains testimony taken under promise of confidentiality and a record of the SIB's deliberations. Privileged information is not provided to the Accident Investigation Board (AIB), or legal board, managed by ACC/JA. The factual part is passed to the AIB and is incorporated in that report in its entirety. AIB reports are publicly available.
SUMMARY
ACC Flight Safety is dedicated to saving lives and preserving combat assets for the USAF through effective risk management, safety education, training, and proactive mishap prevention while fostering a culture where Airmen strive for zero mishaps.