> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.planeconnection.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# How to Manage Investigations
> Assign investigators, document findings, perform root cause analysis, and move investigations through approval.
By following this guide, you will assign investigators, document findings, perform root cause analysis, and move investigations through review and approval.
**Who should read this:** Safety managers, lead investigators, and
investigators. Safety managers assign and approve investigations;
investigators document findings, perform RCA, and submit for
review.
**Prerequisites:** At least one safety report must exist to create
an investigation. Investigations are always linked to a source
report.
## Investigation Workflow Overview
Investigations move through these statuses:
| Status | Description |
| --------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| New | Investigation created and assigned. Scope and initial facts being established. |
| Data Collection | Active evidence gathering -- witness interviews, document collection, flight data extraction. |
| Analysis | Root cause analysis in progress. Findings being documented. |
| Review | Investigation report submitted for safety manager review and approval. |
| Completed | Investigation complete. All findings finalized, CPAs generated. Record is immutable. |
You can toggle between **Kanban** and **List** views on the
Investigations page. The Kanban board organizes investigations by
status column; the list view provides a sortable, filterable table.
## Open an Investigation from a Report
### Step 1: Navigate to the source report
Go to **Safety > Reports** and open the report that warrants investigation.
### Step 2: Create the investigation
From the report detail page, open an investigation. The system creates an investigation record linked to the report and assigns an auto-generated investigation number.
### Step 3: Assign the lead investigator
Select a lead investigator from the user dropdown. If you want the system to balance workload automatically, use the **Auto-Assign** feature.
Auto-Assign selects the investigator with the fewest open investigations, balancing workload
across eligible personnel.
### Step 4: Add team members (optional)
If the investigation requires additional investigators, add team members from the Assignment panel.
### Step 5: Set a target completion date
Investigations have a 30-day preliminary report target aligned with ICAO Annex 13. The aging indicator tracks progress -- amber at 14 days, red at 30 days.
## Work the Investigation
Once the investigation is assigned, the lead investigator clicks
**Start Investigation** to move it to Data Collection.
### Document the Summary and Methodology
1. Open the investigation detail page.
2. Enter a **Summary** describing the scope and key facts of the
event under investigation.
3. Document the **Methodology** -- describe the investigation
approach (interviews, document review, data analysis, site
inspection, etc.).
### Add Findings
Findings are factual statements about conditions, events, or
practices identified during the investigation.
1. In the **Findings** section, click **Add Finding**.
2. Enter a description of the finding.
3. Select a **Category** -- human factors, organizational,
environmental, equipment/technical, procedural, supervisory,
or regulatory. Each category maps to an HFACS tier for
structured analysis.
4. Add **Contributing Factors** if the finding contributed to the
event.
5. Repeat for each finding identified.
### Perform Root Cause Analysis
PlaneConnection provides three structured RCA methods accessible
from the Root Cause Analysis section.
| Method | When to Use |
| ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **5 Whys** | Simple, linear cause chains. Iterative questioning from event to root cause. |
| **Fishbone (Ishikawa)** | Complex events with multiple contributing factors across People, Procedures, Equipment, Environment, Management, and Materials. |
| **Barrier Analysis** | Events involving defense-in-depth failures. Examines which barriers failed, were bypassed, or were absent. |
1. Click **Add Root Cause** in the Root Cause Analysis section.
2. Select the RCA method.
3. For **5 Whys**, enter each successive "Why" question and
answer until you reach the fundamental cause.
4. For **Fishbone**, categorize contributing factors into the
standard categories and document each branch.
5. For **Barrier Analysis**, list the barriers that should have
prevented the event and document their status (effective,
failed, bypassed, or absent).
### Record Witness Statements
1. In the **Witness Statements** section, click
**Record Statement**.
2. Enter the witness name (or "Anonymous" if identity protection
is needed).
3. Record the statement text and the date it was obtained.
### Upload Evidence
1. In the **Evidence** section, click **Upload Evidence**.
2. Attach photos, documents, videos, links, or notes.
3. Each evidence item is categorized by type and displayed in a
gallery view with type summary chips.
### Add Recommendations
1. In the **Recommendations** section, click
**Add Recommendation**.
2. Describe the recommended corrective or preventive action.
3. Recommendations become the basis for CPAs once the
investigation is approved.
## Monitor Investigation Completeness
The **Investigation Completeness** scorecard at the top of the
detail page tracks required and optional artifacts:
| Artifact | Required |
| ------------------ | :------: |
| Summary | Yes |
| Methodology | No |
| Findings | Yes |
| Root Causes | Yes |
| Recommendations | Yes |
| Witness Statements | No |
| Evidence | No |
All required items must be completed before the investigation can
be submitted for review.
## Submit for Review and Approval
1. Once all required artifacts are documented, click
**Submit for Review** in the page header.
2. The investigation status changes to **Review**.
3. The safety manager reviews findings, root causes, and
recommendations.
4. The safety manager can:
* **Approve** the investigation -- this moves it to Completed and
finalizes the record.
* **Request Changes** -- this returns the investigation to
Data Collection with notes explaining what needs revision.
### Link CPAs from the Investigation
From the **Related CPAs** panel on the investigation sidebar,
click **Create CPA** to generate a corrective or preventive action
directly from the investigation's recommendations. The CPA is
automatically linked to the investigation for traceability.
## Put On Hold or Reopen
* **Put on Hold:** While an investigation is in Data Collection or Analysis, click
**Put on Hold** to pause it. Use this when waiting for external
data or witness availability.
* **Resume:** Click **Resume Investigation** to return a held
investigation to its previous active status.
* **Reopen:** After an investigation is completed, click **Reopen**
to return it to active status if new information surfaces.
## Use the AI Assistant
Click **AI Assist** in the investigation header to open the AI
Copilot sidebar. The assistant has context about the investigation
number, status, findings count, and root causes. Use it to:
* Draft summary language
* Identify potential contributing factors
* Suggest additional lines of inquiry
**AI suggestions are advisory only.** Per 14 CFR Part 5, all safety assessments, investigation
findings, and risk evaluations require independent human evaluation by qualified personnel. AI
recommendations should be used as one factor among many in decision-making, not as the sole basis
for any safety, operational, or maintenance action. See [Legal
Notices](/en/reference/legal-notices#ai-and-automated-features-disclaimer).
## Related
Statuses, RCA methods, and approval rules reference.
How to create corrective actions from investigation findings.
Behavior classification used during investigations.
How reports that trigger investigations are created.