Is it reportable?

1. 1

   Was it an accident? Death or serious injury to any person, or substantial damage to the aircraft, in the window from boarding with the intention of flight until everyone has disembarked. Every load-bearing term is defined — read the definitions band before deciding. 49 CFR § 830.2

2. 2

   Not an accident — is it on the list? Twelve listed serious incidents carry the same immediate-notification duty, and so does an aircraft that is overdue and believed to have been involved in an accident. 49 CFR § 830.5

3. 3

   If yes to either: notify the NTSB immediately. The nearest NTSB office, by the most expeditious means available. The NTSB — not the FAA, not your FSDO. The section's own footnote gives the Response Operations Center phone numbers. 49 CFR § 830.5

4. 4

   Have the notification items ready. Nine items, and the rule says “if available” — a missing item does not hold the call. 49 CFR § 830.6

5. 5

   Preserve the wreckage and the records. Nothing is disturbed or moved until the Board takes custody, except for the three listed reasons — and if wreckage must move, sketch, note, and photograph it first, if possible. 49 CFR § 830.10

6. 6

   Then file the report. Form 6120.1/2 within 10 days after an accident — 7 days only if an overdue aircraft is still missing. A report on a listed incident is filed only if the Board asks for one. 49 CFR § 830.15

Overdue aircraft, “believed to have been involved in an accident”: the same immediate call under § 830.5(b) — and the report comes due after 7 days if the aircraft is still missing.

This sheet covers Part 830 only. “Neither” below means no NTSB notification under this part — it says nothing about a duty under any other rule.

“The operator of any civil aircraft, or any public aircraft not operated by the Armed Forces or an intelligence agency of the United States, or any foreign aircraft shall immediately, and by the most expeditious means available, notify the nearest National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) office, 1 when:”

49 CFR § 830.5

The “1” is the section's own footnote marker — the footnote is where the phone numbers live, quoted next.

“To report an accident or incident, you may call the NTSB Response Operations Center, at 844-373-9922 or 202-314-6290.”

49 CFR § 830.5, footnote 1

The regulation's own footnote, quoted — still, phone numbers can change faster than regulations. Confirm before you need it.

“An aircraft accident or any of the following listed serious incidents occur:”

49 CFR § 830.5(a)

1. (1) “Flight control system malfunction or failure;”
2. (2) “Inability of any required flight crewmember to perform normal flight duties as a result of injury or illness;”
3. (3) “Failure of any internal turbine engine component that results in the escape of debris other than out the exhaust path;”
4. (4) “In-flight fire;”
5. (5) “Aircraft collision in flight;”
6. (6) “Damage to property, other than the aircraft, estimated to exceed $25,000 for repair (including materials and labor) or fair market value in the event of total loss, whichever is less.”
7. (7) “For large multiengine aircraft (more than 12,500 pounds maximum certificated takeoff weight):”
   1. (i) “In-flight failure of electrical systems which requires the sustained use of an emergency bus powered by a back-up source such as a battery, auxiliary power unit, or air-driven generator to retain flight control or essential instruments;”
   2. (ii) “In-flight failure of hydraulic systems that results in sustained reliance on the sole remaining hydraulic or mechanical system for movement of flight control surfaces;”
   3. (iii) “Sustained loss of the power or thrust produced by two or more engines; and”
   4. (iv) “An evacuation of an aircraft in which an emergency egress system is utilized.”
8. (8) “Release of all or a portion of a propeller blade from an aircraft, excluding release caused solely by ground contact;”
9. (9) “A complete loss of information, excluding flickering, from more than 50 percent of an aircraft's cockpit displays known as:”
   1. (i) “Electronic Flight Instrument System (EFIS) displays;”
   2. (ii) “Engine Indication and Crew Alerting System (EICAS) displays;”
   3. (iii) “Electronic Centralized Aircraft Monitor (ECAM) displays; or”
   4. (iv) “Other displays of this type, which generally include a primary flight display (PFD), primary navigation display (PND), and other integrated displays;”
10. (10) “Airborne Collision and Avoidance System (ACAS) resolution advisories issued when an aircraft is being operated on an instrument flight rules flight plan and compliance with the advisory is necessary to avert a substantial risk of collision between two or more aircraft.”
11. (11) “Damage to helicopter tail or main rotor blades, including ground damage, that requires major repair or replacement of the blade(s);”
12. (12) “Any event in which an operator, when operating an airplane as an air carrier at a public-use airport on land:”
    1. (i) “Lands or departs on a taxiway, incorrect runway, or other area not designed as a runway; or”
    2. (ii) “Experiences a runway incursion that requires the operator or the crew of another aircraft or vehicle to take immediate corrective action to avoid a collision.”

“An aircraft is overdue and is believed to have been involved in an accident.”

49 CFR § 830.5(b)

“The notification required in § 830.5 shall contain the following information, if available:”

49 CFR § 830.6

1. (a) “Type, nationality, and registration marks of the aircraft;”
2. (b) “Name of owner, and operator of the aircraft;”
3. (c) “Name of the pilot-in-command;”
4. (d) “Date and time of the accident;”
5. (e) “Last point of departure and point of intended landing of the aircraft;”
6. (f) “Position of the aircraft with reference to some easily defined geographical point;”
7. (g) “Number of persons aboard, number killed, and number seriously injured;”
8. (h) “Nature of the accident, the weather and the extent of damage to the aircraft, so far as is known; and”
9. (i) “A description of any explosives, radioactive materials, or other dangerous articles carried.”

“The operator of a civil, public (as specified in § 830.5), or foreign aircraft shall file a report on Board Form 6120. 1/2 (OMB No. 3147-0001) […] within 10 days after an accident, or after 7 days if an overdue aircraft is still missing.”

49 CFR § 830.15(a)

Ten days after an accident. Seven days is not a shorter general deadline — it applies only when an overdue aircraft is still missing. (The spacing in “6120. 1/2” is the frozen artifact's own markup; the printed designation is Board Form 6120.1/2.)

“A report on an incident for which immediate notification is required by § 830.5(a) shall be filed only as requested by an authorized representative of the Board.”

49 CFR § 830.15(a)

The oral-exam point: a listed serious incident always gets the immediate phone call, but the written report follows only if the Board asks for it. An accident gets both.

“Each crewmember, if physically able at the time the report is submitted, shall attach a statement setting forth the facts, conditions, and circumstances relating to the accident or incident as they appear to him. If the crewmember is incapacitated, he shall submit the statement as soon as he is physically able.”

49 CFR § 830.15(b)

“The operator of an aircraft shall file any report with the field office of the Board nearest the accident or incident.”

49 CFR § 830.15(c)

1. 1 · Taxi prop strike Taxiing in, the propeller hits a taxiway light. Both blade tips are curled; nothing else is bent and nobody is hurt.

   Neither — no notification under Part 830Substantial damage excludes “ground damage to rotor or propeller blades,” so this is not an accident — and nothing on the § 830.5(a) list fits. 49 CFR § 830.2, § 830.5

2. 2 · Nose gear collapse The nose gear folds on rollout. The gear, the propeller and the lower cowling are damaged; nobody is hurt.

   Depends on the damage — assess before you decideIf that is all, every damaged part is on the exclusions list — “damage to landing gear,” “ground damage to rotor or propeller blades,” “bent fairings or cowling” — and it is neither. If the firewall or the engine mount is bent too, that can be damage which “adversely affects the structural strength” and “would normally require major repair” — substantial damage, and an accident. 49 CFR § 830.2

3. 3 · Engine quits, field landing The engine of a piston single fails in cruise. The pilot lands in a field: no damage beyond the engine, no injuries.

   Neither — no notification under Part 830“Engine failure or damage limited to an engine if only one engine fails or is damaged” is excluded from substantial damage, nobody is hurt, and nothing on the § 830.5(a) list fits. 49 CFR § 830.2, § 830.5

4. 4 · Hard landing, broken wrist A hard landing. The airplane is undamaged; a passenger's wrist is fractured.

   Accident — call now, then file the reportSerious injury includes “a fracture of any bone (except simple fractures of fingers, toes, or nose)” — a wrist is not among the exceptions, so this is an accident with an undamaged airplane. A simple finger fracture would not be one, on that ground alone. 49 CFR § 830.2

5. 5 · Fire in flight An electrical fire breaks out behind the panel in cruise. The pilot puts it out and lands; no injuries, no structural damage.

   Listed serious incident — call now; report only if the Board asks“In-flight fire” is item (4). Not an accident — the call is owed all the same. 49 CFR § 830.5

6. 6 · Control cable breaks An aileron cable breaks in flight. The pilot lands with rudder and what aileron is left; no damage, no injuries.

   Listed serious incident — call now; report only if the Board asks“Flight control system malfunction or failure” is item (1). A safe landing does not take it off the list. 49 CFR § 830.5

7. 7 · Wingtip meets hangar Taxiing, the wingtip strikes a hangar door. The wingtip is crushed; the door repair is estimated at $30,000.

   Listed serious incident — call now; report only if the Board asksDamage to “wingtips” is excluded, so no accident. But item (6) is “Damage to property, other than the aircraft, estimated to exceed $25,000 for repair” — the door puts it on the list. At a $4,000 estimate it would be neither. 49 CFR § 830.2, § 830.5

8. 8 · Touch in the pattern Two airplanes touch wingtips on downwind. Both land safely; the only damage is scraped wingtips, and nobody is hurt.

   Listed serious incident — call now; report only if the Board asksWingtip damage is excluded, so no accident — but “Aircraft collision in flight” is item (5), and it carries no damage threshold. Each operator owes the call. 49 CFR § 830.2, § 830.5

9. 9 · Solo cross-country never arrives A student's solo cross-country is two hours past its ETA. The airplane is not at the destination or any airport along the route, and a search has started.

   Overdue aircraft — call now§ 830.5(b): “An aircraft is overdue and is believed to have been involved in an accident.” Both halves matter — late alone is not the trigger. The operator, who may be the school or owner that authorized the flight, makes the call; the report comes due after 7 days if the aircraft is still missing. 49 CFR § 830.5, § 830.15