Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board has a set procedure in place for dealing with aviation accidents such as the recent Comair Flight 5191. While each case is somewhat different from all the others before it, the NTSB always looks for certain things when investigation a crash.
According to Kentucky.com:
Many of the investigators will examine, among other things, the following:
• Local officials notify the NTSB, and it mobilizes the “go team,” a group that consists of one of five board members and 10 to 12 experts in various fields.
• They arrive as soon as possible and take control of the crash scene.
• The team begins collecting information and evidence on everything from the scene to flight and cockpit recorders, which are rushed to Washington for analysis, and control-tower data.
• The team will analyze how long the control tower operator had been on duty, how much sleep the crew had and how they spent roughly 72 hours before taking off.
Many involved in the incident believe it will take more than ten months to complete this investigation.
