Reporting to the Secretary for Transport and Housing (STH)(Note 1), the CI is the head of Air Accidents Investigation Authority (AAIA), a new independent authority under the Transport and Housing Bureau (THB) responsible for the investigation of accidents and serious incidents which occur in Hong Kong or which involve Hong Kong–registered civil aircraft outside Hong Kong, and the enhancement and promotion of civil aviation safety. In particular, the CI is responsible for –

• (a)Overseeing the investigation of all civil aviation accidents, serious incidents and/or incidents (Note 2) which occur in Hong Kong or those which occur outside Hong Kong but involve aircraft under its registry in accordance with the requirements of the ICAO stipulated in Annex 13 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation, and the Hong Kong Civil Aviation (Investigation of Accidents) Regulations (Cap 448B);
• (b)Overseeing the preparation of investigation reports to the Chief Executive, stating the circumstances and causes of accidents/serious incidents/incidents and making safety recommendations to prevent recurrence of accidents;
• (c)Leading and managing the AAIA, including staff deployment, staff training, procurement and maintenance of investigation equipment, facility maintenance and record management, etc., as well as formulating strategies and measures to enhance accident investigation and safety management procedures;
• (d)Collecting, protecting and analyzing relevant aviation safety information and data with a view to identifying potential safety hazards;
• (e)Disseminating aviation safety information to the aviation industry and co-ordinating the relevant education work through, amongst others, organisation of seminars;
• (f)Providing support and professional advice to overseas air accident investigation authorities when necessary (e.g. when aircraft registered in Hong Kong are involved in accidents or serious incidents occurred overseas);
• (g)On behalf of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, participating in international organisations or activities in relation to air accident investigation and aviation safety and maintaining close liaison with international organisations on relevant issues; and
• (h)Any other tasks as assigned by the STH.

Note:

• 1.On administrative matters (e.g. personnel, financial resources etc.), CI reports to Permanent Secretary for Transport and Housing (Transport).
• 2.These may include any occurrence, other than an accident or serious incident, associated with the operation of an aircraft that affects or could affect the safety of the operation, which CI expects significant safety lessons can be drawn from initiating an investigation.

Candidates should:

• (a)
  • (i)have a Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) or above in civil aviation management, aeronautical engineering or other aviation-related fields; OR
  • (ii)currently hold or previously held a professional pilot licence (Commercial Pilot’s Licence, Multi-crew Pilot’s Licence or Airline Transport Pilot’s Licence), aircraft maintenance licence or air traffic controller licence issued in accordance with Annex 1 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation; AND
• (b)
  • (i)have extensive proven track record as an air accident investigator (in military and/or civil aviation fields), with substantive experience in managing teams on accident and/or serious incident investigations and related matters ; OR
  • (ii)have extensive proven track record in managing corporate safety/quality assurance division (or equivalent) of a commercial airline operating international routes, aircraft manufacturer or aircraft maintenance organization, with substantive experience in participating in investigations of air accident and/or serious incident and/or incident; AND
• (c)have significant knowledge of Hong Kong’s and international aviation safety legislation and standards, in particular Annex 13 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation and associated guidance documents promulgated by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the relevant subsidiary legislation under the Civil Aviation Ordinance (Cap. 448). Hands-on experience in planning and setting up a new unit/authority (or equivalent) in charge of air accident investigations would be a plus ; AND
• (d)have sound knowledge of the operational aspects of the global aviation industry, connection with civil aviation authorities in other jurisdiction and international organisations. Relevant knowledge and/or experience in working with the local aviation stakeholders (e.g. airlines, media, politicians, etc.) would be a plus; AND
• (e)have strong leadership capabilities with proven experiences in the management of an organisation, excellent interpersonal skills to build and maintain effective teamwork and work successfully with people from different backgrounds; AND
• (f)have strong command of written and spoken English. Proficiency in Cantonese and/or Putonghua would be a plus.

Records of specialised training in air accident investigation would be a plus.