Direct Answer — What to Do After a Part 135 Accident
After people are safe and emergency services are managing the scene, a Part 135 operator has three near-simultaneous duties under 49 CFR Part 830 (an NTSB rule). First, notify the nearest NTSB office immediately and by the most expeditious means available under §830.5 — the NTSB runs a 24-hour line, 844-373-9922. Second, preserve the wreckage and all records under §830.10 — including flight, maintenance, and voice-recorder media — and do not disturb the wreckage except to save lives, prevent further damage, or protect the public. Third, file the written report on NTSB Form 6120.1/2 within 10 days after an accident (7 days if an aircraft is overdue and still missing) under §830.15; an incident report is filed only if the NTSB requests it. The immediate notification and the 10-day report are separate obligations. Bring in qualified aviation counsel early — this page is general information, not legal advice.
This is the playbook — the rule-by-rule reference lives in a companion post
If you want the full section-by-section breakdown of Part 830 — every §830.5(a) trigger, the §830.6 notification contents, and the definitions in §830.2 — read NTSB Part 830: accident and incident notification, reporting, and records. This page is the time-sequenced response: what to do in the first hour, the first day, and the first ten days, and which records the duty to preserve actually reaches.
The First Hour: People, Notify, Freeze
Nothing in this section is medical or emergency-response advice — life safety and the emergency services always come first, and they are not the operator’s regulatory checklist. Once people are being cared for and the scene is in the hands of first responders, three compliance duties under 49 CFR Part 830 begin to run in parallel. They are easy to remember as People · Notify · Freeze.
People and the scene first
Life safety, injured persons, and emergency services come before any paperwork. Part 830 itself recognizes this: the limited exceptions in §830.10(b) that let you disturb the wreckage exist precisely to remove persons who are injured or trapped and to protect the public from injury.
Notify the nearest NTSB office — immediately
Section 830.5 requires the operator to notify the nearest NTSB office immediately and by the most expeditious means available. The NTSB operates a 24-hour Response Operations Center at 844-373-9922 for this purpose. There is no stated number of hours — "immediately" means as soon as you reasonably can.
Freeze the wreckage and the records
The §830.10 preservation duty starts on its own — you do not wait for the NTSB to instruct you. From the moment of the occurrence, the wreckage and all related records (including flight, maintenance, and voice-recorder media) must be preserved, and the scene left undisturbed except for the three narrow life-safety/protection purposes in §830.10(b).
Call your aviation attorney early — and know your rights before making statements
You must make the §830.5 notification, but how you handle the broader response — statements, recovery, insurance, and any FAA enforcement that may follow — is fact-specific and has legal consequences. Engage qualified aviation counsel as early as you reasonably can. The Pilot’s Bill of Rights is a federal statute that gives airmen certain protections in FAA enforcement proceedings; it is not a Part 830 provision and it does not change your duty to notify the NTSB. This page does not give legal advice on any of that.
Is It Even Reportable? Accident vs. Incident — §830.2 and §830.5
Under pressure, the hardest call is often whether you have a reportable event at all. The answer turns on the definitions in 49 CFR §830.2 and the trigger list in §830.5. The safe instinct after a serious occurrence is to treat it as reportable and notify; the definitions below are paraphrased and the determination is fact-specific.
An occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft, between the time any person boards with the intention of flight and the time all such persons have disembarked, in which any person suffers death or serious injury, or in which the aircraft receives substantial damage.
An accident always triggers immediate notification (§830.5) and a written report (§830.15).
An occurrence other than an accident, associated with the operation of an aircraft, that affects or could affect the safety of operations. The definition is broad, but the duty is narrow.
Only the serious incidents enumerated in §830.5(a)(1)–(a)(12) require immediate notification; a written report on one is filed only if the NTSB requests it.
The two §830.2 thresholds that decide “accident”
“Serious injury” — any one of these
- Hospitalization for more than 48 hours, commencing within 7 days of the injury
- Fracture of any bone (except simple fractures of fingers, toes, or nose)
- Severe hemorrhages, or nerve, muscle, or tendon damage
- Injury to any internal organ
- Second- or third-degree burns, or burns affecting more than 5% of the body surface
A “fatal injury” is separately defined as any injury resulting 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 that would normally require major repair or replacement of the affected component.
The §830.2 definition expressly excludes items such as engine failure or damage limited to an engine, bent fairings or cowling, dented skin, small punctured holes, ground damage to rotor or propeller blades, and damage to landing gear, wheels, tires, flaps, engine accessories, brakes, or wingtips — none of which, by themselves, are substantial damage.
If the event turns out to be a reportable incident rather than an accident, the duties are lighter but still real — see the companion reference, NTSB Part 830 accident and incident reporting, for the full §830.5(a) list and the §830.6 notification contents. And know the difference between an FAA compliance action and a formal enforcement action, because what follows an occurrence is not always an enforcement case.
Making the §830.5 Notification: Who, How, and What to Say
Section 830.5 places the notification duty on the operator — defined in §830.2 as any person who causes or authorizes the operation of the aircraft, such as the owner, lessee, or bailee. For a Part 135 charter, that is ordinarily the certificate holder exercising operational control. The notification goes to the nearest NTSB office, immediately and by the most expeditious means available.
How operators reach the NTSB
The NTSB publishes a 24-hour Response Operations Center line — 844-373-9922 — for immediate accident and incident notification. After the initial call, an NTSB investigator determines whether the NTSB will investigate and, if so, will direct the operator to complete NTSB Form 6120.1 (Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report). The NTSB’s own guidance is to complete that form only after an investigator contacts you.
Source: NTSB, “Report an Aircraft Accident to the NTSB.” Always confirm the current number and procedure directly with the NTSB at the time of an occurrence.
The information the notification should contain is set out in §830.6 — to the extent it is available — and most of it maps to documents you already hold. Having these facts at your fingertips is far easier when the underlying records are organized in advance:
Notice how many of those facts come straight from records you should already control — registration and type from your aircraft’s Part 135 records set, and the pilot-in-command and persons-aboard facts from your flight-release and flight-locating documentation. The same immediate-notification duty also applies under §830.5(b) when an aircraft is overdue and is believed to have been involved in an accident; confirm the exact text for your situation.
Related Aviation Compliance Guides
The Quiet Duty Most Operators Underestimate: Preserve Everything — §830.10
Section 830.10 is the part of the playbook that catches operators off guard, because it reaches your records, not just the physical wreckage — and it starts the instant the occurrence happens. It has four paragraphs.
Preserve wreckage AND all records — until the NTSB releases you
The operator is responsible for preserving, to the extent possible, any aircraft wreckage, cargo, and mail aboard the aircraft, and all records — including all recording mediums of flight, maintenance, and voice recorders — pertaining to the operation and maintenance of the aircraft and to the airmen, until the NTSB takes custody or grants a release under §831.12(b). "All records" is sweeping: the flight data and cockpit voice recorders, the maintenance logbooks, and the airman records.
Do not disturb the wreckage — only three exceptions
Before the Board or its authorized representative takes custody, the wreckage, mail, or cargo may not be disturbed or moved except to the extent necessary: (1) to remove persons injured or trapped; (2) to protect the wreckage from further damage; or (3) to protect the public from injury. Outside those three purposes, the scene is left as it is.
If you must move it, document the original state first
Where it is necessary to move wreckage, mail, or cargo for a permitted purpose, sketches, descriptive notes, and photographs shall be made, if possible, of the original positions and condition of the wreckage and any significant impact marks. Those sketches, notes, and photographs become part of the record set you must preserve.
Retain every document about the occurrence
The operator must retain all records, reports, internal documents, and memoranda dealing with the accident or incident, until authorized by the Board to the contrary. This is a litigation-hold-style duty: it reaches internal emails and memos about the occurrence, not just the formal aircraft logbooks.
The hardest part of §830.10 is proving, later, what your records looked like at the moment of the occurrence — before anyone touched them. The strongest position is to freeze a complete, time-stamped copy of the relevant document set early: the maintenance logbooks and airworthiness status, the airman and training records, the flight-release and flight-locating documents, and the operational-control paperwork. That snapshot is what lets you demonstrate the records were preserved intact, and it removes any later argument about post-event editing.
It also exposes gaps while you can still note them honestly. If a logbook entry is genuinely missing, the response is to follow the proper correction and reconstruction procedures and document the effort — never to backfill quietly. See how to correct a maintenance logbook entry and how to reconstruct lost aircraft logbooks. Altering or falsifying a maintenance record is its own serious violation under 14 CFR Part 3, §3.403 (falsification moved to 14 CFR Part 3 §3.403 effective Nov 3, 2025; the former §43.12 is now reserved) — preservation never means clean-up.
The maintenance and airman records swept in by §830.10 are the same records governed day-to-day by other rules — see §43.9 maintenance entry requirements, electronic maintenance records and digital signatures, and the aviation records retention schedule. Maintenance-program operators should also confirm their CAMP maintenance recordkeeping is intact, because a damaged aircraft’s repair history will be examined closely.
The First Ten Days: The Written Report — §830.15 and Form 6120.1/2
Section 830.15 is the separate, written obligation — distinct from the immediate notification you already made under §830.5. The immediate phone call does not satisfy it, and filing the written report does not cure a missed immediate notification.
The operator of a civil, public, or foreign aircraft files a report on NTSB Form 6120.1/2 within 10 days after an accident.
When an aircraft is overdue and still missing, the report is filed after 7 days.
A report on an incident for which immediate notification is required under §830.5(a) is filed only as requested by an authorized representative of the NTSB.
Crewmember statements and where to file
Under §830.15(b), each crewmember, if physically able at the time the report is submitted, attaches a statement setting forth the facts, conditions, and circumstances relating to the accident or incident; a crewmember who is incapacitated submits the statement as soon as physically able. Under §830.15(c), the operator files the report with the NTSB field office nearest the accident or incident.
Assembling Form 6120.1/2 accurately within 10 days is a documentation exercise under real time pressure — you are pulling together the aircraft, crew, flight, and damage facts at the worst possible moment to be hunting for paperwork.
The same crew-qualification and currency records that prove who was legally flying feed straight into the report and into any follow-on inquiry — see the full Part 135 records list. After the report, an accident frequently draws broader FAA attention; prepare for the records side with how to prepare for a Part 135 FAA surveillance audit and understand how to handle a records request during an investigation.
What Often Follows: Testing, Records Requests, and Voluntary Disclosure
An accident rarely ends with the 10-day report. Several other obligations and decisions tend to arrive on their own clocks, and a few are easy to miss in the chaos. None of the following is legal advice — each is fact-specific and worth discussing with counsel and your safety team.
Post-accident drug and alcohol testing
An accident that requires immediate NTSB notification under §830.5 will frequently also meet the post-accident testing criteria for covered aviation employees under the FAA testing rules (14 CFR Part 120), with testing-program procedures in 49 CFR Part 40. That testing runs on its own clock and generates its own chain-of-custody records — treat it as part of the same coordinated records event, not an afterthought.
Records requests and surveillance
The §830.10(d) retention duty runs until the Board releases you, and an occurrence often draws FAA attention to the operator's recordkeeping as a whole. A records request after an accident reaches maintenance, crew, training, duty/rest, medical, and operational-control records — not just the Part 830 file.
Voluntary disclosure and safety programs (a separate decision)
FAA programs such as the Voluntary Disclosure Reporting Program (VDRP, described in FAA guidance AC 00-58) and ASAP (described in AC 120-66), and the NASA-administered Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS), are policy/guidance programs — not Part 830 rules and not a substitute for NTSB notification. Whether any of them fits a given situation is a strategic, fact-specific decision for the operator and counsel.
Each of these gets its own deeper treatment: VDRP voluntary disclosure for Part 135, ASAP vs. VDRP vs. ASRS — which to file, and the distinction between an FAA compliance action and enforcement. These are decisions to make with counsel, not from a blog post.
The Records a Single Accident Generates — and Where FileFlo Fits
Part 830 is usually taught as an emergency procedure. For a records-focused operator it is also a record-generating event: one accident produces an NTSB notification log, a Form 6120.1/2, crewmember statements, preserved recorder media, scene sketches and photographs, and a litigation-hold set of internal documents — all retained under §830.10(d) until the Board says otherwise. Those NTSB records sit alongside, but never replace, the FAA airworthiness and maintenance records you keep under Title 14.
| Record | Source rule | Why it has to survive |
|---|---|---|
| Immediate-notification record (who/when/what was reported to the NTSB) | 49 CFR §830.5 / §830.6 | Evidence the immediate-notification duty was met, and what facts were given |
| NTSB Form 6120.1/2 written report | 49 CFR §830.15(a) | The required 10-day accident report (7 days if overdue) |
| Crewmember statements | 49 CFR §830.15(b) | Required attachment; first-hand account of the occurrence |
| Preserved flight, maintenance & voice-recorder media | 49 CFR §830.10(a) | Preserve until NTSB custody or §831.12(b) release |
| Scene sketches, descriptive notes, photographs | 49 CFR §830.10(c) | Required if wreckage is moved for a permitted purpose |
| Internal documents and memoranda about the occurrence | 49 CFR §830.10(d) | Retain until authorized by the Board to the contrary |
| Maintenance / return-to-service entries for repairs | 14 CFR §43.9 / §91.417 | FAA airworthiness chain — separate from, not replaced by, the NTSB report |
| Post-accident drug & alcohol testing records | 14 CFR Part 120 / 49 CFR Part 40 | Often triggered by the same event; separate testing and chain-of-custody records |
FileFlo as the Records-Proof Layer — Not Your Accident Response
FileFlo is a compliance document intelligence platform — a proof layer for your records. To be clear about what it does not do: it does not notify the NTSB for you, file your report, represent you to the FAA or NTSB, run your safety program, manage an accident response, give legal advice, or guarantee any outcome. Those are your duties and your counsel’s. What FileFlo does is keep the document set Part 830 touches — and the FAA records sitting next to it — classified, indexed, immutable, and instantly retrievable, before and after an occurrence.
- Classifies and indexes the aircraft, crew, and flight records §830.6 asks for — registration/type, PIC, persons aboard, dangerous-articles status — so the notification facts are at hand
- Keeps the maintenance, airman, and recorder-related records named in §830.10(a) organized, so the preservation duty does not develop inadvertent gaps
- Preserves a time-stamped, immutable snapshot of the relevant records so you can show what they looked like at the time of the event
- Holds the completed NTSB Form 6120.1/2, crewmember statements, and scene documentation in one place with version history
- Surfaces the parallel FAA records — §43.9 entries, Form 337s, §91.417 status — that prove the airworthy return to service after a repair
- Produces an inspector- or investigator-ready records index on demand, so "produce the records" is a button, not a scramble
FileFlo classifies 600+ document types and manages records across Part 91, Part 135, and Part 145 operators. Pricing: Starter $89/mo, Professional $299/mo. 5-day free trial, no credit card required. FileFlo keeps the documents that prove compliance audit-ready — it is not an SMS, a dispatch/flight-operations system, or an accident-response service.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do I do first after a Part 135 aircraft accident?
Once people are safe and emergency services are handling the scene, the operator's first regulatory duty under 49 CFR §830.5 is to notify the nearest NTSB office immediately and by the most expeditious means available. The NTSB operates a 24-hour Response Operations Center at 844-373-9922 for exactly this. At the same time, the duty to preserve the wreckage and all related records under §830.10 has already begun — you do not wait for the NTSB to tell you to preserve. So the practical first hour is: people first, notify the NTSB, and freeze the records. This is general compliance-document information, not legal advice — bring in qualified aviation counsel early.
How long do I have to report an aircraft accident to the NTSB?
There are two different clocks. The immediate notification under 49 CFR §830.5 has no stated number of hours — it must be made immediately and by the most expeditious means available, which in practice means as soon as you reasonably can after an accident or one of the serious incidents listed in §830.5(a). Separately, §830.15(a) requires a written report on NTSB Form 6120.1/2 within 10 days after an accident (within 7 days if an aircraft is overdue and still missing). For an incident for which immediate notification is required under §830.5(a), the written report is filed only when the NTSB requests it. The immediate phone notification and the 10-day written report are two separate obligations — one does not satisfy the other.
What is the difference between an accident and an incident under NTSB Part 830?
Under 49 CFR §830.2, an aircraft accident is an occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft, between the time any person boards with the intention of flight and the time all such persons have disembarked, in which any person suffers death or serious injury, or in which the aircraft receives substantial damage. An incident is broader — an occurrence other than an accident that affects or could affect the safety of operations. The distinction drives your duties: an accident always triggers immediate §830.5 notification and a §830.15 written report, while only the specific serious incidents enumerated in §830.5(a)(1) through (a)(12) require immediate notification, and a written report on one of those is filed only if the NTSB asks for it. Borderline calls on serious injury and substantial damage are fact-specific — when in doubt, document the facts and get qualified guidance.
Do I have to preserve the wreckage and aircraft records after an accident?
Yes. Under 49 CFR §830.10(a) the operator is responsible for preserving, to the extent possible, any aircraft wreckage, cargo, and mail aboard the aircraft, and all records — including all recording mediums of flight, maintenance, and voice recorders — pertaining to the operation and maintenance of the aircraft and to the airmen, until the NTSB takes custody or grants a release under §831.12(b). Under §830.10(b), before the Board takes custody, the wreckage may not be disturbed or moved except as necessary to remove persons injured or trapped, to protect the wreckage from further damage, or to protect the public from injury. If you must move it for one of those reasons, §830.10(c) directs that sketches, descriptive notes, and photographs be made of the original positions and condition. And §830.10(d) requires you to retain all records, reports, internal documents, and memoranda dealing with the occurrence until the Board authorizes otherwise.
Who is the "operator" responsible for Part 135 accident notification?
Section 830.2 defines operator as any person who causes or authorizes the operation of an aircraft, such as the owner, lessee, or bailee. For a Part 135 charter flight, the certificate holder exercising operational control is ordinarily the operator for Part 830 purposes — which is why operational-control documentation matters when an occurrence happens on a leased, managed, or fractional aircraft. Pinning down who held operational control at the moment of the occurrence is a recurring post-accident question, and it is answered from the lease, management agreement, and flight-release records — the same documents an FAA inspector or NTSB investigator will ask to see.
Does an NTSB report replace my FAA maintenance and airworthiness records?
No. Part 830 is an NTSB rule (49 CFR Chapter VIII), and §830.5 directs notification to the NTSB, not the FAA. An NTSB accident report on Form 6120.1/2 is entirely separate from your ongoing FAA recordkeeping. A damaged or repaired aircraft still generates 14 CFR §43.9 maintenance entries, FAA Form 337 major repair and alteration records, and the §91.417 maintenance-record retention chain. After an accident you are running two parallel records tracks — an NTSB reporting track and an FAA airworthiness/return-to-service track — and an investigator or inspector can ask for either. An operator that files a flawless NTSB report but cannot later produce the records proving the aircraft was correctly repaired has solved only half the problem.
Should I move or recover the aircraft after an accident?
Generally not until the NTSB takes custody or releases the wreckage. Under 49 CFR §830.10(b), prior to the Board taking custody, the wreckage, mail, or cargo may not be disturbed or moved except to the extent necessary to remove persons injured or trapped, to protect the wreckage from further damage, or to protect the public from injury. If a recovery is genuinely necessary for one of those three reasons, §830.10(c) directs that sketches, descriptive notes, and photographs be made, if possible, of the original positions and condition of the wreckage and any significant impact marks before it is moved. Recovery and salvage logistics are fact-specific and have legal and insurance consequences — coordinate with the NTSB and qualified aviation counsel before disturbing the scene.
What records will the FAA or NTSB ask for after a Part 135 accident?
Expect a broad records demand. It typically reaches the aircraft maintenance and airworthiness records (logbooks, the airworthiness directive and inspection status, and any §43.9 or Form 337 entries for prior repairs), the crew's qualification, training, currency, duty/rest, and medical records, the flight-release and flight-locating documentation, the aircraft's operational-control and lease paperwork, and — if the occurrence met the post-accident drug-and-alcohol testing criteria — the testing and chain-of-custody records. Under §830.10(d) you must also retain internal documents and memoranda about the occurrence. A records request after an accident is far less stressful when those documents are already classified, indexed, and retrievable — which is the only thing FileFlo claims to do. FileFlo does not represent you, file your report, or give legal advice.
When the worst day comes, the records duty starts immediately. Be ready before it does.
FileFlo classifies and indexes the aircraft, crew, flight, maintenance, and airman records that Part 830 reaches, preserves an immutable snapshot of them, keeps your completed NTSB Form 6120.1/2 and supporting documentation organized with version history, and surfaces the parallel FAA airworthiness records on demand. It does not notify the NTSB, file your report, or replace your counsel. Starter $89/mo. Professional $299/mo. 5-day free trial — no credit card required.
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Written by Chad Griffith, Founder, FileFlo — compliance document intelligence. Reviewed June 15, 2026. This article is general compliance document-management information, not legal advice. A Part 135 accident or incident — and any FAA enforcement, NTSB investigation, or records demand that follows — is highly fact-specific and carries legal consequences. Nothing here is accident-investigation, wreckage-recovery, or legal-strategy guidance. In any actual occurrence, contact the NTSB (24-hour line 844-373-9922) and a qualified aviation attorney before acting on notification, wreckage-handling, recovery, or disclosure decisions, and verify every Part 830 threshold and deadline against the current regulation. FileFlo keeps the documents that prove compliance audit-ready; it does not represent you to any agency or guarantee any outcome.