Which statement best describes the relationship between incidents and near accidents?

• A. Incidents are events that always require NTSB investigation.
• B. Incidents are defined loosely as near accidents.
• C. Incidents are only about damage to aircraft.
• D. Incidents never involve human injury.

Answer: (B)

In aviation safety, an incident is a broad safety event that did not become an accident, and near accidents (near-misses) are the kinds of events that illustrate why incidents are defined in a flexible, inclusive way. The idea is that the term incident covers a wide range of safety-related events, including those near-miss situations where an accident almost happened. So describing incidents as loosely defined to include near accidents fits how safety professionals use the terms: the goal is to capture events that could have had serious consequences, even if they didn’t. The other statements are not accurate because not every incident triggers a NTSB investigation, incidents aren’t limited to damage to the aircraft, and incidents can involve human injury as well as other safety concerns.