The Air Accident Investigation Authority will be responsible for conducting investigations into all accidents and/or serious incidents related to civil aircraft that happen within the Hong Kong territory and also those involving Hong Kong-registered civil aircraft which happen outside Hong Kong. The primary functions of the independent investigation authority include determining the circumstances and causes of accidents and/or serious incidents, publishing investigation reports, protecting evidence, reporting investigation progress to victim families or survivors and so forth.
At the same time, the authority will be responsible for safety management and accident prevention initiatives, such as managing accident and incident database, analysing data to identify safety hazards, proposing safety recommendations and collaborating with the aviation industry to disseminate safety information, etc. It will also provide recurrent training for personnel and maintain facilities and equipment to ensure readiness for accident investigations and fulfilment of legal requirements at all times.