According to the typical investigation sequence, what comes immediately after evidence collection?

• A. Lab tests
• B. Data analysis
• C. Reconstruction
• D. Draft findings

Answer: (B)

Evidence collected at the scene becomes meaningful when you turn it into information through data analysis. Right after gathering materials, records, and observations, investigators organize and interpret what’s been found: identifying patterns, cross-checking items against maintenance logs, flight data, and witness statements, and building a timeline of events. This step is essential to make sense of the raw facts and to determine what happened and what might have caused it. Lab tests often support this interpretation, but they serve within the analysis rather than replacing the need to understand and synthesize the evidence. Once the data has been analyzed and the relationships understood, the team moves on to reconstructing the sequence of events and drafting the findings.