Apparently, drunken pilots and the lost-luggage lotto aren't enough travel worries for us to bear.
According to an article by the Associated Press, "NASA is withholding results from an unprecedented national survey of pilots that found safety problems like near collisions and runway interference occur far more frequently than the government previously recognized."
The article goes on to say that "NASA ordered the contractor that conducted the survey to purge all related data from its computers."
First, I don't know why NASA did this survey rather than the TSA or some independent organization, but that, I suppose, is beside the point. The real point is that the survey apparently uncovered some safety issues that they're now hiding from us. Issues like the fact that there are actually twice as many bird strikes and near mid-air collisions than are reported to the public.
The article suggests that NASA is anxious to avoid upsetting air travelers. Hence the censorship. Ignorance is bliss. And, in that ignorance, people will continue to buy airline tickets. And they dare to call this a democracy.
What it appears like, in this situation, is that NASA is being a whore to the air transportation industry. Keep us dumb and keep us flying.
Really makes you want to board a plane, doesn't it?
At this point, I think I'd rather walk.
NASA's decision to purge pilots' air safety concerns should concern all air travelers.
ReplyDeleteConsider this recent news . . .
Planes Collide On Downwind To NY Airport; No Injuries
Aircraft Land Safely Following Sunday Collision Two single-engine aircraft on approach to Republic Airport (FRG) in Farmingdale, NY collided about five miles from the runway Sunday night, but both aircraft were able to land safely, and no injuries were reported.
Airport Director Michael Geiger told Newsday a Cessna 152 and Piper PA32 Saratoga (file photos of types shown above, below) collided at about 1815 EDT Sunday. The impact took the outboard 12 inches off a wing of the Piper, and punctured a wing tank, according to news reports.
The Cessna suffered damage to its windscreen and wing, added airport spokesman Gary Lewi. A landing light from one of the aircraft was found in the front yard of a home under construction in nearby Dix Hills.
FAA spokeswoman Arlene Salac said both planes were operating under VFR rules, and were returning to FRG when the accident occurred.
Geiger did not know if either plane was in contact with the control tower at Republic.
The Piper was flown by Sidhu Karmendra, and had one additional passenger onboard. The lone pilot of the C152 was not identified.
NASA's decision to purge pilots' air safety concerns should concern all air travelers.
Since 9/11 air travelers have been forced to take an active role in making aviation more secure. Given the recent news, air safety government officials appear to think passengers are better off uninformed.
Don't let today's airplane passengers know that the runway incursions and near mid air collisions they hear about on the news may be occurring twice as often as previously reported.
Don't let them read what 24,000 commercial and general aviation pilots have to say about the daily incidents that are one safety net away from becoming deadly accidents.
Because if air travelers knew where aviation insiders saw weaknesses they might be convinced to take their complaints to the FAA and demand that something be done to fix a overstressed and under staffed air traffic control system.
Air travelers might ask why, with so many accidents attributable to pilot error, the industry is racing to unleash single-pilot, very light jets into airspace formerly reserved for commercial airlines.
No, the results of the National Aviation Operations Monitoring Service, a NASA survey of industry workers, must remain a secret for fear of alarming the public.
For nearly two decades the anonymous Aviation Safety Reporting System administered by NASA has been a safe harbor where aviation professionals can tell the truth without fear of reprisal about what goes on in their business including 'fessing up to their own mistakes and tattling on others. That the identity of contributors is
>confidential encourages participation. It's a system that works, despite its simplicity and the public as well as safety investigators have had unfettered access to those accounts to chart trends and evaluate all sorts of safety issues.
So when the Associated Press asked for the results of the specially contracted survey of pilots NASA said no, "the findings could damage the public's confidence in airlines and affect airline profits" according to AP.
Who knows what conclusions should be drawn from what a cross-section of pilots had to say about safety over the past 10 years? But the decision to keep this information secret is itself alarming. In aviation safety as in aviation security, uninformed is the most dangerous thing to be.
Please feel free to contact Christine Negroni, Aviation Investigator, Kreindler & Kreindler LLP, 203.952.8441 or via email at cnegroni@kreindler.com or Karen Bertoli, Public Affairs Director, 312.399.7878 or via email at kbertoli@kreindler.com.