The purpose of an event investigation process is to manage the risks from events caused by human actions that may affect flight safety, personal injury, and equipment damage. An error is a human action that unintentionally deviates from the required, intended , and expected action. A violation is a human action that intentionally deviates from company or regulatory policies or procedures.

Event investigations help organizations identify and understand multiple contributing factors to errors and violations. Examples include hard-to-understand procedures, time pressure, task interruption, poor communication, and a variety of additional workplace and life conditions. The identification of these contributing factors provides an organization with a specific focus to prevent future events. Often event investigation systems are part of a company’s overall safety management system.