Document with which an investigation authority closes a case: it reconstructs and analyses the facts, sets out causes and factors, and makes recommendations.
What it is
ICAO Annex 13 recommends a common structure that most authorities follow, so reports from different countries look very much alike. They open with factual information (history of the flight, crew, aircraft, weather, communications, recorders, wreckage and survival aspects), move on to analysis, present the conclusions, meaning findings, causes and contributing factors, and close with safety recommendations.
Before publication, the authority sends a draft to the States that took part in the investigation so that they can comment. ICAO asks for the report to be released as soon as possible and, if that cannot happen within 12 months, for an interim statement to be issued on each anniversary. A complex investigation can take several years.
Its value extends far beyond the case itself. Final reports are studied in the training of pilots, controllers and engineers, drive changes in regulation and design, and stand as a public record of what was learned. In keeping with Annex 13, they are not meant to apportion blame: their language describes factors and conditions, not culprits.
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This page was last updated on October 9, 2026
APA
Vuelopedia. (2026, October 9). Final report. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/final-report
MLA
“Final report.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 9 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/final-report. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.
Chicago
Vuelopedia. “Final report.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 9, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/final-report.
Harvard
Vuelopedia (2026) Final report. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/final-report (Accessed: 16 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{vuelopedia_en_glossary_final_report,
author = {{Vuelopedia}},
title = {{Final report}},
publisher = {Fundación Poderia},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-10-09},
url = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/final-report},
howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/final-report}},
urldate = {2026-10-16},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-16}
}Wikipedia
{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/glossary/final-report |title=Final report |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-09 |access-date=2026-10-16 |language=en}}