# Root Cause Analysis — 5-Why and Fishbone > Root cause analysis for aviation: 5-Why, fishbone, human and organisational factors, with exam and certificate. - Course code: RCA - Price: 65.00 EUR per seat - Classroom equivalent: 6 hours - Pass mark: 75% - HTML syllabus: https://mxcourse.net/courses/RCA Evidence-led root cause analysis for aviation safety and quality: define a problem, test fishbone and 5-Why hypotheses, consider human and organisational factors, select actions and verify effectiveness. Fourteen sections include 42 ungraded scenario decisions with feedback. A separate final examination samples 12 questions from a 24-question bank; pass mark 75%. Original fictional examples develop decisions without essays, uploads or workbook submissions. The course certificate records completion and assessment, not an accredited auditor qualification, IAQG authentication or operational authorisation. Equivalent classroom hours are planning estimates, not measured study time or mandated training minima. This online aviation training course is designed for controlled seat assignment, recorded trainee progress, final assessment, and certificate issue after passing. Course revision 2, reviewed 2026-09-10. References support the training scope; operational use requires current applicable rules and the organisation’s accepted procedures. ## Syllabus 14 modules, completed in order. 1. Welcome and course scope - Keywords: scope, audience, assessment - Objective: Use scenario feedback to practise causal reasoning and distinguish course completion or tool use from investigation authority. 2. What a root cause really means - Keywords: root cause, symptom, contributing factor, definitions - Objective: Distinguish symptoms, direct actions and supported underlying mechanisms without assuming one wholly controllable root cause. 3. The RCA process end to end - Keywords: RCA process, steps, problem to verification - Objective: Coordinate immediate containment, evidence preservation, iterative causal testing, action and effectiveness review. 4. Defining the problem and gathering evidence - Keywords: problem statement, evidence, scope, data - Objective: Define a measurable deviation and its boundary, interpret exposure denominators and preserve relevant original evidence. 5. Cause-and-effect thinking and just culture - Keywords: cause and effect, just culture, blame-free, systems thinking - Objective: Test causal claims without hindsight or blame, and apply fair reporting and accountability boundaries. 6. Fishbone (Ishikawa): what it is and when to use it - Keywords: fishbone, Ishikawa, categories, 6Ms - Objective: Use fishbone categories to organise hypotheses and assign evidence checks rather than treating a populated diagram as proof. 7. Building a Fishbone step by step - Keywords: fishbone construction, brainstorming, categories, branches - Objective: Build a fishbone around an observed effect and turn candidate causes into specific evidence tasks. 8. The 5-Why technique: the discipline - Keywords: 5-Why, iterative questioning, discipline, evidence - Objective: Test each why-chain link, branch where needed and choose a stopping point based on evidence and explanatory adequacy. 9. 5-Why in practice: worked examples and pitfalls - Keywords: 5-Why examples, pitfalls, single-track, jumping to causes - Objective: Recognise different mechanisms behind similar outcomes and validate actions for each affected pathway. 10. Combining the tools - Keywords: combining tools, fishbone + 5-Why, workflow - Objective: Combine fishbone, timeline, why-chain and Pareto tools while keeping frequency, consequence and causal proof distinct. 11. A brief tour of other RCA tools - Keywords: fault tree, barrier analysis, change analysis, tools - Objective: Select an investigation or prospective analysis method that fits the uncertainty, significance and team competence. 12. From cause to corrective action - Keywords: corrective action, root cause to fix, SMART actions - Objective: Select a control that addresses a supported cause and define ownership, change validation and effectiveness criteria. 13. Verifying effectiveness and sharing learning - Keywords: verification, effectiveness, lessons learned, sharing - Objective: Judge effectiveness using relevant operating opportunities and control evidence, and communicate remaining uncertainty. 14. Summary, pitfalls checklist, and applying RCA - Keywords: summary, pitfalls checklist, application - Objective: Use recurrence to test cause, rollout and scope, then record and share verified learning through appropriate channels. ## Final assessment - Format: 12 multiple-choice questions drawn from the course question bank, with the options shuffled each attempt. - Pass mark: 75%. - Certificate: issued automatically on passing, according to Evidence-led investigation methodology informed by EASA causal-analysis guidance and Regulation (EU) No 376/2014 just-culture principles; use the applicable organisational investigation process.. ## Classroom training equivalent Approximately 6 hours of classroom-equivalent study, case analysis and review. This is an instructional planning estimate, not measured online attendance or a regulatory minimum. ## Related training topics - [Aviation auditing and quality training](https://mxcourse.net/training/aviation-auditing-quality-training.md) - [Aviation root cause analysis training](https://mxcourse.net/training/root-cause-analysis-training.md) - [Aviation safety and human factors training](https://mxcourse.net/training/aviation-safety-human-factors-training.md) - [Aviation SMS online course](https://mxcourse.net/training/sms-training.md) ## Related courses - [Auditing Techniques for Aviation](https://mxcourse.net/courses/AUDIT-TECH.md): Practical aviation audit judgement: scope, independence, evidence, sampling, interviews, findings and verified corrective action. Twenty sections include 60 ungraded scenario decisions with feedback. A separate final examination samples 12 questions from a 24-question bank; pass mark 75%. - [Foreign Object Debris and Damage (FOD) Prevention](https://mxcourse.net/courses/FOD.md): Online knowledge and decision training for FOD prevention: sources, migration, housekeeping, accountability, parts protection, safe reporting and authorised disposition. Does not assess practical performance or grant aircraft access or maintenance authorisation. - [Safety & Human Factors Training — Continuing Airworthiness Management & Maintenance](https://mxcourse.net/courses/SAFETY-HF.md): Practical safety and human-factors judgement for continuing-airworthiness management and maintenance: hazards, risk, performance limits, communication, procedures, fair reporting and effective controls. Twenty sections include 60 ungraded scenario decisions and a separate 12-question sampled final examination at 75%. ## Common questions ### Is this accident-investigator training? No. It is method training for organisational investigations, audit findings and occurrence follow-up. ### How long is this course? The published classroom-equivalent estimate is 6 hours. Self-paced completion time varies. The figure is a planning estimate, not measured attendance. ### Do I get a certificate? Yes. After every module is complete, a 12-question examination must be passed at 75%. A named certificate is then issued automatically and can be checked on the public certificate checker.