Date board of inquiry will be convened and its members (if such a board is formed). Boards of inquiry   usually   are   not   formed   unless   the accident results in a major loss of Navy property, such  as  a  shipboard  fire.  However,  all  aircraft accidents,   even   minor   ones,   are   investigated thoroughly. Lives  still  imperiled. If people are still trapped, this rates coverage with the casualties and will require follow-up coverage as well. Property loss or damage. It is not necessary that you state the price of an airplane each time one crashes, but when a structure is damaged by the crash,  media  will  want  to  know  its  value.  You might want to keep a list on your desk of Navy aircraft and the approximate cost of each model. Disposition of the dead. State where the bodies have been taken. Care of the injured.  Like  the  previous  category, the care of the injured is especially applicable in off-station   accidents.   The   story   should   state where the injured are being treated. Statements  from  survivors,  especially  where heroic acts are involved.  Such  statements  are unnecessary in routine accidents. However, in a major   catastrophe,   they   could   be   extremely valuable  in  piecing  together  a  true  picture  of exactly what happened. Rescue work still underway.  This is related to victims still imperiled. Human  interest  items.  Noteworthy  escapes, before   his   plane   crashes   into   an   isolated   field. rescues   or   unusual   circumstances   involved should be acknowledged. OTHER FACTORS TO KEEP IN MIND Accidents are caused by various circumstances. The major   causes   for   most   accidents   are   human   error, mechanical failure, disturbances of nature and “acts of God.” When a pilot misjudges the plane’s altitude, attitude or  airspeed  and  crashes  upon  the  deck  of  an  aircraft carrier, the accident is due to human error. If  a  hydraulic  catapult  aboard  the  same  carrier explodes and kills several aviation boatswain’s mates, the cause of the accident might be mechanical failure. 3-22 If  the  same  ship  were  battered  about  in  a  violent storm  at  sea,  and  several  crew  members  were  injured when they were thrown out of their bunks, the accident could be blamed on disturbances of nature. Finally, there are accidents that cannot be attributed to any of the above causes, and therefore, are classified under “acts of God.” Note the following example: A bee stings the coxswain of a motor launch, causing him to lose his footing, fall overboard and drown. When an accident occurs in the Navy and an account of it gets into the newspaper, the reader automatically looks for someone or something to blame. The reader often forgets that circumstances as well as persons and things cause accidents. In  writing  an  accident  story,  the  Navy  journalist should  attempt  to  explain  these  circumstances.  With proper handling, an accident story may result in better understanding  and  appreciation  by  the  public  of  the everyday hazards Navy personnel face. Take, for example, an aircraft accident in which the pilot  manages  to  parachute  to  safety  just  moments Regardless of the fact nobody was hurt and there was no private property damage, many readers will approach the  facts  with  a  negative  point  of  view.  Unless  told differently, they will think about the story in terms of carelessness” or “negligence.” Either the pilot did not know how to handle the plane, or the ground crew did not  adequately  prepare  it  for  flight.  These  are  typical reactions. What the reader does not know, however, is that the plane  might  have  suffered  a  flame-out  over  a  heavily populated city. To protect the lives of people below, the pilot may have decided to stick with the disabled plane until it reached an unpopulated area.  In doing this, the pilot jeopardized his own chances for survival. The reader never learns these facts unless they are mentioned in the story. Decisions and actions such as these  should  not  be  included  just  in  the  story;  they should be featured in the lead. It is your responsibility to have the common sense and ability to recognize these facts and play them up accordingly. In another story, a sailor is killed in an auto accident. There is nothing unusual or spectacular about it.  Nobody else is involved. The driver was killed when the car blew a  tire  on  a  sharp  curve,  veered  out  of  control  and smashed into a utility pole. Circumstances caused the accident.