Final report
The investigating authority has published its concluding report, with findings, causes and safety recommendations. This is the authoritative account.
A final report under ICAO Annex 13 sets out the factual information, the analysis, the conclusions — findings and causes or contributing factors — and any safety recommendations. It is published by the state of occurrence's safety investigation authority, with participation from the states of the operator, registry, design and manufacture.
A final report is not a verdict of blame. Annex 13 is explicit that the sole objective of a safety investigation is the prevention of accidents, not the apportioning of liability, which is why its findings are usually inadmissible in the parallel legal process.
Reports can be amended, and an investigation can be reopened if new evidence appears — recovered wreckage, a recorder read years later, or a related occurrence.
Related terms
A preliminary or interim publication. It states facts established so far and normally contains no conclusion about cause.
The authority's formal statement of what caused the accident. The exact wording matters, and the archive quotes it rather than paraphrasing it.
A formal proposal from the investigators to a regulator or operator. Recommendations are not binding — the regulator decides what to mandate.
The international standard governing aircraft accident investigation. It defines who investigates, what an accident is, and that the sole objective is prevention — not blame.