Skip to main content
Investigations are how your organization systematically determines the root cause of safety events and develops corrective actions. PlaneConnection provides a structured workflow from report intake through investigation closure.

​
Prerequisites

  • You must have the safety_manager or admin role to open and manage investigations.
  • At least one submitted safety report must exist to initiate an investigation.

​
Investigation workflow overview

An investigation progresses through these statuses:
StatusDescription
OpenInvestigation has been created and assigned
In ProgressTeam is actively investigating
ReviewFindings are ready for review by safety management
ClosedInvestigation is complete with documented findings and recommendations

​
Steps

1
Open an investigation from a report
2
Navigate to Reports in the Safety sidebar, then open the report you want to investigate. On the report detail page, click Open Investigation. This creates a new investigation record linked to the source report.
3
An investigation number in the format INV-YYYY-NNNNN is automatically assigned.
4
You can also create investigations from the Investigations page by clicking New Investigation and linking it to an existing report during creation.
5
Assign the investigation team
6
On the investigation detail page, assign team members who will participate in the investigation:
7
  • Click the team assignment section.
  • Search for and select team members by name or role.
  • Designate a lead investigator who will be responsible for driving the investigation to completion.
    • 8
    Document findings
    9
    Navigate to the Findings tab on the investigation detail page. Add findings as you uncover them:
    10
  • Click Add Finding.
  • Provide a title and detailed description of the finding.
  • Classify the finding type (contributing factor, root cause, observation).
  • Link the finding to specific hazards if applicable.
    • 11
    Each finding creates a documented record in the audit trail for regulatory compliance.
    12
    Conduct root cause analysis
    13
    Use the Root Cause Analysis (RCA) tools available on the investigation page:
    14
  • Navigate to the RCA section.
  • Select your analysis methodology (e.g., 5 Whys, Fishbone/Ishikawa, or Bowtie).
  • Document each step of the analysis.
  • Identify the root cause(s) and contributing factors.
    • 15
    Root cause analysis is a requirement under 14 CFR 5.73 (Safety Performance Assessment). Thorough RCA documentation demonstrates compliance during FAA audits.
    16
    Recommend corrective and preventive actions
    17
    Based on your findings and root cause analysis, recommend CPAs:
    18
  • From the investigation detail page, click Recommend CPA.
  • Fill in the CPA details — the investigation and finding references are automatically linked.
  • Specify whether the action is corrective (addresses the immediate cause) or preventive (prevents recurrence).
  • Assign an owner and due date.
    • 19
    See How to Create and Track CPAs for detailed CPA guidance.
    20
    Review the investigation timeline
    21
    The Timeline tab provides a chronological audit trail of all investigation activities including:
    22
  • When the investigation was opened and by whom
  • Team assignments and changes
  • Findings added or modified
  • CPAs recommended
  • Status transitions
    • 23
    This timeline is preserved for regulatory recordkeeping per 14 CFR 5.97.
    24
    Close the investigation
    25
    Once all findings are documented and CPAs are recommended:
    26
  • Change the investigation status to Review.
  • The safety manager or accountable executive reviews the investigation.
  • Upon approval, set the status to Closed.
    • Closing an investigation does not close its associated CPAs. CPAs continue through their own lifecycle until verified and closed. See How to Create and Track CPAs.

    ​
    Viewing your investigations

    • All investigations: Navigate to Investigations in the Safety sidebar.
    • My investigations: Click the Mine filter to see only investigations assigned to you.
    • Pending review: Click the Review filter to see investigations awaiting approval.