How to research an aviation accident
A repeatable way to identify an accident when the information you have is incomplete, translated, or shared by several similar events.
1. Start with the strongest identifier
An aircraft registration is usually more specific than an airline name or aircraft model. Search it with and without punctuation because older sources may format the same mark differently. A flight number can also be useful, but numbers are reused across years and routes.
2. Narrow the date and place
If the exact date is unknown, establish a year or decade first. Locations may be recorded as an airport, a nearby settlement, a geographic feature, or a distance and bearing from a known point. Search both the historical and modern place names when borders or transliterations have changed.
3. Confirm the aircraft and operator
Aircraft family names are not always enough. A Douglas DC-3 variant, military designation, or locally manufactured derivative can appear under several labels. Confirm the manufacturer, model or variant, operator at the time of the event, and registration together.
4. Separate the event from its investigation
Contemporary reporting describes what was known immediately after the accident. Investigation findings can arrive months or years later and may revise the sequence, cause, or casualty account. Record the publication date and authority of each source instead of treating every account as equally final.
5. Resolve conflicts explicitly
When two sources disagree, retain both claims in your notes and identify which one is supported by the investigation or closest primary record. Do not combine incompatible details into a new account. A precise “unknown” is more reliable than an unsupported conclusion.
Search the CrashAtlas archive
Use the map when the location is your strongest clue, or browse the archive by year, country, aircraft, and cause when you need to narrow a larger set.