statement

BTC and IAPA Urge Congress to Secure NASA Survey Data

Improved aviation system safety and public confidence at risk

Washington, DC, October 22, 2007–The Business Travel Coalition (BTC) and the International Airline Passengers’ Association (IAPA) today called on U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel K. Inouye (D-HI) and U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar (D-MN) to intervene on behalf of travelers and aviation system employees and ensure that the comprehensive aviation safety data that NASA is keeping secret is made public. 

The Associated Press reported today that NASA is withholding results from an unprecedented national survey of pilots that found safety problems such as near collisions and runway interference occur far more frequently than the government previously recognized. NASA surveyed some 24,000 commercial pilots and general aviation pilots over four years. The agency terminated the project a year ago and has refused to release the results publicly. Last week NASA ordered the contractor who conducted the survey to destroy all related data. A senior NASA official said releasing the findings could damage the public's confidence in airlines and affect airline profits (the AP article can be found at http://tinyurl.com/2sfemx).

“Keeping important safety information secret will undermine the public’s confidence in the aviation system and represent a significant step back to a time when we largely only pursued safety improvements after an accident occurred. Travelers expect government regulators and the airline industry to continue to be proactive in seeking ways to improve aviation system safety,” stated Nancy McKinley, IAPA Director Consumer & Industry Affairs.

Kevin Mitchell, Chairman of the Business Travel Coalition added, “While NASA may not be the jurisdiction of Chairmen Oberstar and Inouye, the information could be vitally important and actionable in the hands of the FAA and the airline industry. It is wrong and counterproductive to keep such information secret, especially given that the project was funded with $8.5 million dollars of taxpayer money.”