Incident & Accident Reporting

IATA DGR Section 1.8 and Section 9.6 dangerous goods incident/accident reporting obligations, definitions, and the Dangerous Goods Occurrence Report form.

1.8 Incident and Accident Reporting

State Variation: PLG-06

In addition to operators, organizations that discover dangerous goods or become aware that a dangerous goods accident/incident has occurred must follow the 9.6.1 reporting requirements.

Organizations that discover undeclared or misdeclared dangerous goods must follow the 9.6.2 reporting requirements. These organizations may include freight forwarders, customs authorities, and security screening providers.

Definitions (ICAO Annex 13)

Accident

An occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft resulting in death or serious injury, or substantial aircraft damage, or aircraft missing (ICAO Annex 13).

Incident

An occurrence other than an accident, associated with aircraft operation, that affects or could affect flight safety (ICAO Annex 13).

Serious Incident

An incident with a high probability of leading to an accident. Examples: dangerous goods leakage, smoke in cockpit, fire caused by dangerous goods.

Dangerous Goods Occurrence

Any event involving dangerous goods — including accidents, serious incidents, or discovery of undeclared/misdeclared DG.

9.6 Reporting Scenarios

9.6.1 — Dangerous Goods Accident or Incident

When an accident or incident involving dangerous goods occurs, the operator must report to the authority of the State in which the event occurred AND to the State of the operator's registry.

Who: Operator

When: As soon as possible

To: State of occurrence + operator's State of registry

9.6.2 — Undeclared / Misdeclared DG

When undeclared or misdeclared dangerous goods are discovered in cargo, mail, or baggage, it must be reported. Parties other than the operator who discover it (freight forwarders, customs, security screening) must also report.

Who: Operator + discovering parties

When: Upon discovery

To: Operator's State of registry + States of origin/destination

9.6.3 — Operator's Obligation to Provide Information

In case of an accident or serious incident, the operator carrying dangerous goods must provide emergency response services with information about the dangerous goods aboard as soon as possible. This information must be relayed to the nearest ATC unit.

Who: Operator (pilot-in-command)

When: At the time of the emergency

To: ATC + emergency response services

9.6.4 — Reporting of Dangerous Goods Occurrences

The operator must report to the appropriate authority when (a) undeclared/rejected dangerous goods are found, or (b) dangerous goods have been carried without required notification (Section 8 / 9.5.1).

Who: Operator

When: Upon discovery

To: Operator's State of registry

Dangerous Goods Occurrence Report — Form Fields

Mandatory fields of the standard incident reporting form found in the DGR Appendix:

Report Form (IATA DGR, DG Occurrence Report)

1.Report date and reference number
2.Operator / company name and IATA code
3.Flight number and date
4.Departure and arrival airport (ICAO/IATA code)
5.Aircraft type and registration
6.Nature of occurrence (accident / incident / undeclared DG / leakage / damage / other)
7.Proper shipping name
8.UN/ID number
9.Class / division
10.Packing group (PG I / II / III)
11.Number of packages and quantity (net / gross)
12.Packing instruction (PI) number
13.Shipper name and address
14.AWB (air waybill) number
15.Description of the occurrence (detailed)
16.Actions taken
17.Damage / injury information
18.Additional information / photographs / documents

Source: IATA DGR 67th Ed., Section 1.8 (p.12, PNG 0044) and Section 9.6 (p.782, PNG 0820). Form example: Appendix, p.1135 (PNG 1167).

Important Notes

Note 1: Occurrences caused by dangerous goods exempt from DGR provisions (e.g. special provision exemptions) must also be reported under this section.
Note 2: The DG Occurrence Report example is found in the DGR Appendix. In addition to operators, consigning shippers are also subject to reporting obligations under Section 1.8.
Emergency info: If a dangerous goods emergency occurs during flight, the pilot-in-command must immediately relay NOTOC information to ATC (see 9.5.1.3).