scope:

Purpose. The purpose of this directive is to implement federal law which assigns NTSB and FAA responsibility or interest in certain mishaps involving military aircraft.

Because various agencies and departments have differing policies and procedures regarding witnesses, analysis and the release of information, a joint military-civil investigation with shared responsibility is not possible.

This directive strives to foster cooperation during the investigations of aircraft mishaps involving both civil and military aircraft, while adhering to the unique requirements of civil and military investigations.

Since the common goal of safety investigations is mishap prevention, cooperation between military and civil agencies is both logical and desirable.