The challenges of forensic medical expertise in aircraft accidents: A case report

Abstract

One of the crucial roles that a Forensic Pathologist performs is disaster victim identification. Aircraft accidents are one of the common scenarios that cause mass fatalities. Most of the aircraft crashes happen right after take-off or before landing. Aircraft crashes typically result in multiple casualties due to massive mechanical injuries. We describe a case of identification of 5 deceased passengers of a sports plane that crashed immediately after taking off. One of the passengers managed to jump of the plane before crashing. Visual identification was not possible in the case of four out of the five passengers that remained in the plane as they suffered from superficial charring. The passenger that managed to jump off was found 30 meters away from the wreckage, and identification was possible in his case due to preservation of facial features, dentition, and fingerprints. Autopsy and visual examination were performed on the five cadavers, and blood samples for toxicological analysis and DNA profiling were preserved. Alcohol was not present in the blood of any of the deceased. Full DNA profiles of the cadavers were generated, and the identities of them were established to be members of the Parachute club.