Originally Posted by
ERJF15
If a af jet crashes, the first thing to get locked down are the forms and then the Crew Chief. If it was a MX error and the Crew Chief was at fault, that individual goes to jail. If it kills the operator, negligent homicide. Crew Dawgs job is a b!@ch.
The above doesn't do much toward establishing a "just culture" - something that is generally considered the foundation of an effective safety program.
As USMC said, in the Navy the mishap investigation and the JAG investigation (the legal guys) are two very different things, and one must be careful not to "cross the streams". One attempts to find the cause of the mishap and implement steps toward prevention of future occurrence. The other, unfortunately, tries to affix individual blame and defend the service itself from any wrongdoing. The safety investigators should be viewed as the "white hat" guys. The JAG investigation...? Well, get yourself a good lawyer.
To the guy on the receiving end of either of these investigations, it's probably hard to tell the difference.