PilotDECODER

Part 830 Decoder

When the NTSB must hear about it: 49 CFR Part 830 covers notification of accidents and serious incidents, preservation of wreckage and records, and the reports that follow. A 95-question quiz, a decision flowchart, and a quick reference — checked against the eCFR source text, current as of Aug. 17, 2026.

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Decision flowchart

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Work down the left column. The first YES sends you into the right column, where every step is mandatory: notify immediately (§ 830.5), give the § 830.6 information, preserve everything (§ 830.10), then file the right report (§ 830.15).

49 CFR Part 830 decision flowchart Flowchart of NTSB notification, preservation and reporting duties under 49 CFR Part 830. 49 CFR Part 830 — what to do after an aircraft accident or incident NTSB notification (§ 830.5–830.6), preservation (§ 830.10) and reporting (§ 830.15) — eCFR text current as of Aug. 17, 2026 HOW TO READ THIS CHART Start Decision Required action Written report Stop Work down the left column: the first YES sends you to the right column, where every step is mandatory. The NO path at the bottom means Part 830 asks nothing more (other rules may still apply). Definitions that decide the ACCIDENT question are summarized in the reference box at bottom-left. YES NO NO NO NO YES YES YES Something happens involving an aircraft An occurrence in the operation of an aircraft — or an aircraft is overdue DECISION Does Part 830 apply? § 830.1 Civil aircraft of the U.S. — wherever the event occurs Certain public aircraft — wherever it occurs (the § 830.5 notice duty covers public aircraft NOT operated by the Armed Forces or a U.S. intelligence agency) Foreign civil aircraft — only for events in the U.S., its territories or possessions DECISION Is it an AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT? § 830.2 When: between the time any person boards with the intention of flight and all such persons have disembarked (UAS: from system activation for flight to deactivation at the end of the mission) And at least one of: any person suffers death or serious injury · the aircraft receives substantial damage (UAS: substantial damage counts only if the aircraft holds an airworthiness certificate) DECISION Is it one of the 12 listed SERIOUS § 830.5(a) INCIDENTS? 1 Flight control system malfunction or failure 2 A required flight crewmember unable to perform normal duties because of injury or illness 3 Turbine engine internal failure with debris escaping other than out the exhaust path 4 In-flight fire 5 Aircraft collision in flight 6 Damage to property other than the aircraft estimated to exceed $25,000 (repair cost, or fair market value if a total loss — whichever is less) 7 Large multiengine aircraft (over 12,500 lb MTOW): emergency-bus electrical failure · reliance on the sole remaining hydraulic/mechanical flight-control system · sustained power loss on two or more engines · evacuation using an emergency egress system 8 Propeller blade release (unless caused solely by ground contact) 9 Complete loss (not flickering) of more than 50% of cockpit displays (EFIS, EICAS, ECAM or similar) 10 ACAS/TCAS resolution advisory on an IFR flight plan where compliance is needed to avert a substantial risk of collision 11 Helicopter main or tail rotor blade damage, including ground damage, that needs major repair or replacement 12 Air carrier airplane at a public-use airport on land: lands or departs on a taxiway, wrong runway or non-runway area — or a runway incursion requiring immediate corrective action to avoid a collision DECISION Is the aircraft OVERDUE and believed to § 830.5(b) have been involved in an accident? STOP No NTSB notification required by Part 830 The event may still be an “incident” under § 830.2 (something that affects or could affect safety), but § 830.5 does not require notice and § 830.10 preservation is not triggered. STOP Part 830 does not apply REQUIRED ACTION NOTIFY THE NTSB IMMEDIATELY § 830.5 How: by the most expeditious means available, to the nearest NTSB office. NTSB Response Operations Center 844-373-9922 or 202-314-6290 (HQ: 490 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Washington, DC 20594). Who: the operator — anyone who causes or authorizes the operation (owner, lessee, bailee) — of a civil aircraft, a public aircraft not operated by the Armed Forces or a U.S. intelligence agency, or a foreign aircraft. REQUIRED ACTION GIVE THIS INFORMATION, IF AVAILABLE § 830.6 (a) Aircraft type, nationality & registration marks (b) Name of the owner and of the operator (c) Name of the pilot-in-command (d) Date and time of the accident (e) Last point of departure & point of intended landing (f) Position, referenced to an easily defined geographical point (g) Number of persons aboard, killed, and seriously injured (h) Nature of the accident, weather & extent of damage, so far as known (i) Any explosives, radioactive materials or other dangerous articles carried REQUIRED ACTION PRESERVE WRECKAGE, MAIL, CARGO & RECORDS § 830.10 Operator's duty — until the Board takes custody or grants a release under § 831.12(b). Includes all records and the flight, maintenance and voice recorder media. Do not disturb or move wreckage, mail or cargo except as necessary to: (1) remove injured or trapped persons · (2) protect the wreckage from further damage · (3) protect the public from injury. If it must be moved: make sketches, descriptive notes and photographs of the original positions, condition and any significant impact marks (if possible). Retain all records, reports, internal documents and memoranda about the event until the Board authorizes otherwise. DECISION Which written report is due? — NTSB Form 6120.1/2 (OMB No. § 830.15(a) 3147-0001) REPORT ACCIDENT File the report within 10 days after the accident. REPORT OVERDUE AIRCRAFT File after 7 days if the aircraft is still missing. REPORT SERIOUS INCIDENT File only as requested by an authorized representative of the Board. REPORT HOW AND WHERE TO FILE § 830.15(b)–(c) Crewmember statements: each crewmember, if physically able when the report is submitted, attaches a statement of the facts, conditions and circumstances as they appear to him — an incapacitated crewmember submits it as soon as physically able. Where: with the NTSB field office nearest the accident or incident. Forms are available from NTSB field offices, NTSB headquarters, and FAA Flight Standards District Offices. REFERENCE Key definitions § 830.2 Serious injury — any injury that (1) requires hospitalization for more than 48 hours, commencing within 7 days of the injury; (2) results in a fracture of any bone (except simple fractures of fingers, toes or nose); (3) causes severe hemorrhages, nerve, muscle or tendon damage; (4) involves any internal organ; or (5) involves second- or third-degree burns, or any burns affecting more than 5% of the body surface. Fatal injury — any injury that results in death within 30 days of the accident. Substantial damage — damage or failure that adversely affects the structural strength, performance or flight characteristics of the aircraft and would normally require major repair or replacement of the affected component. Not substantial damage: engine failure or damage limited to one engine; bent fairings or cowling; dented skin; small punctured holes in the skin or fabric; ground damage to rotor or propeller blades; damage to landing gear, wheels, tires, flaps, engine accessories, brakes or wingtips. Public aircraft — used only for the U.S. Government, or owned and operated (not for commercial purposes) or exclusively leased for at least 90 continuous days by a state, local, DC or territorial government — with limits on carrying passengers or property commercially. Civil aircraft — any aircraft other than a public aircraft. Operator — any person who causes or authorizes the operation of an aircraft (owner, lessee, bailee). Incident — an occurrence other than an accident, associated with the operation of an aircraft, that affects or could affect the safety of operations. REFERENCE Numbers to remember 30 days — death within 30 days of the accident = fatal injury > 48 hours in hospital, starting within 7 days = serious injury > 5 % of body surface burned (or any 2nd/3rd-degree burn) = serious injury $25,000 — property damage other than the aircraft that triggers notice 12,500 lb MTOW — “large multiengine aircraft” threshold for item 7 > 50 % of cockpit displays lost (not flickering) = serious incident 90 continuous days — minimum exclusive lease for a state/local public aircraft 10 days — Form 6120.1/2 due after an accident 7 days — Form 6120.1/2 due if an overdue aircraft is still missing Immediately — notification, by the most expeditious means available Study aid summarizing 49 CFR Part 830 (eCFR, current as of Aug. 17, 2026). Not legal advice — always check the current regulation and NTSB guidance.

Quick reference — 49 CFR Part 830

Condensed from the eCFR text (current as of Aug. 17, 2026). Section numbers are given so you can check the source language.

§ 830.1 Applicability

  • Notification and reporting (Subparts B & D) apply to: civil aircraft of the United States wherever they occur; certain public aircraft wherever they occur; and foreign civil aircraft when the events occur in the United States, its territories or possessions.
  • Preservation (Subpart C) applies to all civil and certain public aircraft accidents in the United States and its territories or possessions.

§ 830.2 Definitions

Aircraft accidentAn occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft that takes place between the time any person boards with the intention of flight and all such persons have disembarked, in which any person suffers death or serious injury, or the aircraft receives substantial damage. Includes "unmanned aircraft accident."
Unmanned aircraft accidentOccurrence associated with any public or civil UAS between system activation with the purpose of flight and deactivation at the conclusion of the mission, in which (1) any person suffers death or serious injury, or (2) the aircraft holds an airworthiness certificate and sustains substantial damage.
IncidentAn occurrence other than an accident, associated with the operation of an aircraft, which affects or could affect the safety of operations.
Civil aircraftAny aircraft other than a public aircraft.
Public aircraftAircraft used only for the U.S. Government, or owned and operated (except for commercial purposes) or exclusively leased for at least 90 continuous days by a state, D.C., territorial or local government. Not a public aircraft if government-owned and transporting property for commercial purposes, or transporting passengers other than (non-commercially) crewmembers or persons whose presence is required for a governmental function (firefighting, search and rescue, law enforcement, aeronautical research, biological or geological resource management), or persons aboard Armed Forces / intelligence agency aircraft. Cost-reimbursement operations for another government unit still count as public aircraft if certified to the FAA Administrator as necessary to meet a significant and imminent threat to life or property with no private operator reasonably available.
OperatorAny person who causes or authorizes the operation of an aircraft, such as the owner, lessee or bailee.
Fatal injuryAny injury which results in death within 30 days of the accident.
Serious injuryAny injury which (1) requires hospitalization for more than 48 hours, commencing within 7 days from the date the injury was received; (2) results in a fracture of any bone (except simple fractures of fingers, toes or nose); (3) causes severe hemorrhages, nerve, muscle or tendon damage; (4) involves any internal organ; or (5) involves second- or third-degree burns, or any burns affecting more than 5 percent of the body surface.
Substantial damageDamage or failure which adversely affects the structural strength, performance or flight characteristics of the aircraft, and which would normally require major repair or replacement of the affected component. Not substantial damage: engine failure or damage limited to an engine if only one engine fails or is damaged; bent fairings or cowling; dented skin; small punctured holes in the skin or fabric; ground damage to rotor or propeller blades; damage to landing gear, wheels, tires, flaps, engine accessories, brakes or wingtips.

§ 830.5 Immediate notification

The operator of any civil aircraft, any public aircraft not operated by the Armed Forces or a U.S. intelligence agency, or any foreign aircraft must immediately, and by the most expeditious means available, notify the nearest NTSB office when an aircraft accident or any of the listed serious incidents occurs, or when an aircraft is overdue and believed to have been involved in an accident. NTSB Response Operations Center: 844-373-9922 or 202-314-6290. HQ: 490 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Washington, DC 20594.

The listed serious incidents — § 830.5(a):

  1. Flight control system malfunction or failure.
  2. Inability of any required flight crewmember to perform normal flight duties as a result of injury or illness.
  3. Failure of any internal turbine engine component that results in the escape of debris other than out the exhaust path.
  4. In-flight fire.
  5. Aircraft collision in flight.
  6. Damage to property, other than the aircraft, estimated to exceed $25,000 for repair (including materials and labor) or fair market value in the event of total loss, whichever is less.
  7. For large multiengine aircraft (more than 12,500 lb maximum certificated takeoff weight): (i) in-flight failure of electrical systems requiring sustained use of an emergency bus powered by a back-up source (battery, APU, air-driven generator) to retain flight control or essential instruments; (ii) in-flight failure of hydraulic systems resulting in sustained reliance on the sole remaining hydraulic or mechanical system for movement of flight control surfaces; (iii) sustained loss of the power or thrust produced by two or more engines; (iv) an evacuation in which an emergency egress system is utilized.
  8. Release of all or a portion of a propeller blade, excluding release caused solely by ground contact.
  9. A complete loss of information, excluding flickering, from more than 50 percent of the cockpit displays (EFIS, EICAS, ECAM, or other displays of this type such as PFD/PND and other integrated displays).
  10. ACAS resolution advisories issued when the aircraft is on an IFR flight plan and compliance is necessary to avert a substantial risk of collision between two or more aircraft.
  11. Damage to helicopter tail or main rotor blades, including ground damage, that requires major repair or replacement of the blade(s).
  12. An operator operating an airplane as an air carrier at a public-use airport on land: (i) lands or departs on a taxiway, incorrect runway, or other area not designed as a runway; or (ii) experiences a runway incursion that requires the operator or the crew of another aircraft or vehicle to take immediate corrective action to avoid a collision.

§ 830.5(b): an aircraft is overdue and is believed to have been involved in an accident.

§ 830.6 Information to give in the notification (if available)

  1. Type, nationality, and registration marks of the aircraft;
  2. Name of owner, and operator of the aircraft;
  3. Name of the pilot-in-command;
  4. Date and time of the accident;
  5. Last point of departure and point of intended landing;
  6. Position of the aircraft with reference to some easily defined geographical point;
  7. Number of persons aboard, number killed, and number seriously injured;
  8. Nature of the accident, the weather and the extent of damage to the aircraft, so far as is known;
  9. A description of any explosives, radioactive materials, or other dangerous articles carried.

§ 830.10 Preservation of wreckage, mail, cargo and records

  • (a) The operator of an aircraft involved in an accident or incident for which notification must be given is responsible for preserving, to the extent possible, wreckage, cargo and mail aboard, and all records (including flight, maintenance and voice recorder media) pertaining to the operation and maintenance of the aircraft and to the airmen — until the Board takes custody or a release is granted under § 831.12(b).
  • (b) Before the Board takes custody, wreckage, mail or cargo may not be disturbed or moved except to the extent necessary to (1) remove persons injured or trapped, (2) protect the wreckage from further damage, or (3) protect the public from injury.
  • (c) Where it is necessary to move wreckage, mail or cargo, sketches, descriptive notes and photographs shall be made, if possible, of the original positions and condition of the wreckage and any significant impact marks.
  • (d) The operator shall retain all records, reports, internal documents and memoranda dealing with the accident or incident until authorized by the Board to the contrary.

§ 830.15 Reports and statements to be filed

FormNTSB Form 6120.1/2 (OMB No. 3147-0001) — available from NTSB field offices, NTSB headquarters, and FAA Flight Standards District Offices.
Who filesThe operator of a civil, public (as specified in § 830.5), or foreign aircraft.
AccidentWithin 10 days after the accident.
Overdue aircraftAfter 7 days if the aircraft is still missing.
Serious incident (§ 830.5(a))Only as requested by an authorized representative of the Board.
Crewmember statementEach crewmember, if physically able when the report is submitted, attaches a statement of the facts, conditions and circumstances as they appear to him; if incapacitated, he submits it as soon as physically able.
WhereWith the field office of the Board nearest the accident or incident.
Two easy mix-ups: (1) The $25,000 figure is about damage to property other than the aircraft (§ 830.5(a)(6)) — it is not part of the "substantial damage" definition. (2) Ground damage to rotor blades is not "substantial damage" (§ 830.2), but helicopter rotor blade damage needing major repair or replacement — including ground damage — is a listed serious incident (§ 830.5(a)(11)).

Answer key — all 95 questions

Grouped by section. The correct answer is highlighted, followed by the explanation and citation. Use this as a study sheet before or after a quiz.