The narrative portion of an accident investigation should include

• A. Cause and Circumstances
• B. Subjective Opinions
• C. Fault Identification
• D. A Copy of Disciplinary Action Taken

Answer: (A)

The narrative should present what happened and why in a clear, objective way, focusing on the cause and the surrounding circumstances that led to the incident. By laying out the sequence of events, the conditions, equipment, and actions involved, the report builds a factual basis for identifying contributing factors and preventing recurrence. It stays away from opinions, blame, or personnel actions. Subjective opinions would bias the record, fault identification implies assigning blame rather than describing factors, and a copy of disciplinary action taken belongs in personnel actions, not the investigation narrative.