NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD

When the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) was established in 1967, it was considered an independent federal agency. Nevertheless, NTSB's administrative support and funding were funneled through the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). Over time, the need for a totally separate, nonreliant agency was recognized, and the 1975 Independent Safety Board Act severed all DOT ties.

Congress charges NTSB with investigating every U.S. civil aviation accident, as well as significant railroad, highway, marine, and pipeline accidents. NTSB, based on investigation findings, then issues safety recommendations in an effort to prevent future accidents.

NTSB differs from other agencies in that it has no official enforcement or regulatory powers, it is a totally independent agency, and its specially trained staff conducts investigations and determines probable cause. Its investigations are broad, looking more for the "big picture," rather than attempting to focus on a specific detail or category.

With fewer than 400 employees, NTSB is a small agency. It plays a large role, however, in maintaining and/or restoring public confidence in the safety of the nation's transportation systems. NTSB has investigated over 10,000 surface transportation accidents and more than 124,000 aviation accidents since it began operation in 1967.

The most important outcomes of NTSB investigations are the safety recommendations the agency issues based on investigation findings. NTSB has proven itself to be thorough and impartial and has been able to achieve an admirable (more than 80 percent) acceptance rate of recommendations made to various individuals and organizations in positions to effect change.

NTSB also uses accident-investigation findings to identify trends or issues that may otherwise be overlooked. Through proactive outreach efforts (e.g., conferences, symposia, and state advocacy), NTSB makes the public aware of potential safety problem areas, such as child safety seat concerns or accidents related to human fatigue factors.

Further, to address the needs of aviation disaster victims and their families, the role of integrating federal, local, and state authorities' resources with airlines resources was assigned to the NTSB in 1996. To fulfill this essential role, the NTSB established the Office of Transportation Disaster Assistance (originally called the Office of Family Affairs).

NTSB also enjoys an international leadership role, specifically in regard to accidents involving cruise ships or foreign-flag vessels in U.S. waters, or U.S. planes or U.S.-made aircraft overseas. NTSB has thus contributed significantly to increasing levels of safety for individuals worldwide.

To focus attention on NTSB recommendations with the potential to save the most lives, NTSB has created its "Most Wanted List" of improvements in transportation safety, which includes areas where rapid improvement is considered essential. This list includes requiring railroads to install collision avoidance systems, having natural gas distribution companies install excess-flow valves in high-pressure residential systems, having data recorders with increased parameters installed on ships and airplanes, and requiring fire detection and suppression equipment in airplane cargo compartments.

NTSB's safety recommendations have resulted in many safety improvements, and those in positions to serve as change agents have adopted more than 82 percent of NSTB recommendations. For instance, recommendations stemming from the ValuJet Flight 92 accident in Florida resulted in a DOT's Research and Special Programs Administration Agency (RSPA) rule prohibiting passenger-carrying aircraft from transporting oxygen generators as cargo. In the wake of natural gas pipeline accidents in Catskill, New York, and Allentown, Pennsylvania, cast-iron pipe monitoring and replacement programs were implemented by two major gas-distribution companies. The Federal Aviation Association (FAA) has acted to have Boeing 737 rudder systems modified based on NTSB recommendations stemming from the USAir Flight 427 incident in Pittsburgh. In response to an NTSB-issued emergency recommendation based on its 1996 Child Passenger Protection Study, the automobile industry attached labels and sent warning letters to owners about the dangers posed to children by air bags.

Recognizing a need for highly trained investigators, the NTSB Academy was established on the George Washington University campus in Ashburn, Virginia, in 2003. The academy provides training for both NTSB employees and representatives of the diverse transportation community. The academy curriculum is designed to facilitate objective, technically advanced, and independent investigations of transportation accidents, using critical thought, open and succinct communication, and application of evaluative techniques. This is accomplished through accident reconstruction and the collaborative efforts of first responders and compatible federal and state activities.

Additional information on the NTSB and other actions resulting from NTSB recommendations is available from NTSB at 490 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Washington, DC 20594; 202-314-6000; or http://www.ntsb.gov.

see also Consumer Advocacy and Protection ; Transportation

Mary Jean Lush

Val Hinton