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work of meteorological reports collected by the Weather Bureau and the continual information relayed from weather satellites during their 90 minute earth orbits.  In a recent case the somewhat exaggerated eye-witness reports of severe weather were effectively countered by a satellite photo of the accident site taken seconds before the disaster. It is also possible to identify the other flights that operated in the accident area by reference to the airline guide and then requesting crew-member statements from U. S. airlines that were not involved in the accident.  The United States Department of Defense also maintains aviation establishments in many foreign countries and valuable information about weather, flight routings and local procedures can sometimes be obtained from military personnel.

Aviation is perhaps the most completely documented activity in our society due to its nature and regulations. However, aviation technical terminology and industry jargon can appear to be a foreign language to the uninitiated. This, too, however, can be overcome by reference to aeronautical dictionaries and reference documents, not the least of which is the ICAO Lexicon of Aviation Terms. In fact, the language barrier in any  foreign accident is partly overcome by the consistent international usage of aviation terminology adopted on a global basis.

Each airline has an air carrier operating manual and a maintenance manual. These documents will assist in determining acceptable procedures and a measure against which to reflect the conduct of the pilot, dispatcher, or mechanic in the activities that led up to the flight.

The number and type of personnel which a government, airline or manufacturer sends to an accident investigation is sometimes a clue to proximate cause. For example, when a number of structural engineers and maintenance experts are participating in an accident investigation with oper-