Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety


The Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety is an agency of the French government, responsible for investigating aviation accidents and incidents and making safety recommendations based on what is learned from those investigations.
Its headquarters are at Paris–Le Bourget Airport in Le Bourget, near Paris. The BEA has 96 employees in 2019, including 30 investigators and 12 investigative assistants. It is under the authority of the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development, Transport and Housing.
The BEA was created in 1946. It operates under, amongst other texts, the French civil aviation and transports codes.
Following international rules, French authorities are responsible for investigating all aircraft accidents occurring in French territory or airspace, as well as accidents involving French aircraft occurring in international airspace or in other countries if the local authorities do not open a technical enquiry. They may also assist foreign investigation authorities at their request. They are also the investigating party for all aircraft manufactured by the multinational Airbus.
, the head of the BEA is Pierre-Yves Huerre, who began his term on 1 January 2024. Previous BEA heads include Jean-Paul Troadec, and Rémi Jouty, engineer general of the Bridges, Waters and Forests.

Facilities

It is headquartered in Building 153 on the grounds of Paris–Le Bourget Airport in Le Bourget, near Paris. The BEA building is located in front of the French Air and Space Museum and houses offices and laboratories. The BEA building at Le Bourget has over of space; it had been expanded to that amount in 2002, and to by 1999. Previously the building had of space.
In addition the BEA has facilities at Melun Aerodrome. They include hangars and protected areas with a combined total of of space. The BEA also has hangars and protected areas in Bonneuil-sur-Marne. The BEA has satellite offices in Aix-en-Provence, Bordeaux, Rennes, and Toulouse.
At one time the head office of the Bureau d'Enquêtes-Accidents was in the 15th arrondissement of Paris.