Civil Aviation Act 1949

10 Investigation of accidents

(1) The Minister may make regulations providing for the investigation of any accident arising out of or in the course of air navigation, and either occurring in or over the United Kingdom or occurring elsewhere to British aircraft registered in the United Kingdom:

Provided that regulations not relating only to civil aviation shall be made by the Secretary of State and the Minister acting jointly.

(2) Regulations under this section may contain provisions—

(a) requiring notice to be given of any such accident as aforesaid in such manner and by such persons as may be specified in the order;

(b) applying, with or without modification, for the purpose of investigations held with respect to any such accidents any of the provisions of section three of the Notice of Accidents Act, 1894;

(c) prohibiting, pending investigation, access to or interference with aircraft to which an accident has occurred, and authorising any person, so far as may be necessary for the purposes of an investigation, to have access to, examine, remove, take measures for the preservation of, or otherwise deal with, any such aircraft;

(d) authorising or requiring the cancellation, suspension, endorsement or surrender of any licence or certificate granted under this Part of this Act or any Order in Council or order made under this Part of this Act, where it appears on an investigation that the licence ought to be cancelled, suspended, endorsed or surrendered, and requiring the production of any such licence for the purpose of being so dealt with:

Provided that nothing in this section shall limit the powers of any authority under sections five hundred and thirty to five hundred and thirty-seven of the Merchant Shipping Act, 1894, or any enactment amending those sections.

(3) If any person contravenes or fails to comply with any regulations under this section, he shall be liable, on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months.

(4) Any expenses incurred by a Secretary of State or the Minister in the exercise of his powers under this section, including the expenses of any investigation under this section, shall be paid out of moneys provided by Parliament.

(5) Part VI of this Act applies to this section.