Weather
Windshear, thunderstorms, turbulence, icing or low visibility were causal. The finding is usually less about the weather than about the decision to fly into it.
Weather is rarely the whole answer. Reports normally address the forecast and actual conditions, what information reached the crew and when, whether the operator's policy allowed the approach or departure, and whether the aircraft's protection systems — anti-ice, windshear warning, weather radar — were used correctly.
Microburst windshear on approach and airframe icing are the two classic weather killers, and both produced substantial technology and training changes.
Related terms
From joining the approach to just before touchdown. Together with landing it accounts for a disproportionate share of accidents relative to time spent.
Decisions and pressures outside the flight deck — dispatch, loading, scheduling, air traffic services, company culture — that shaped the outcome.
A formal proposal from the investigators to a regulator or operator. Recommendations are not binding — the regulator decides what to mandate.