A safety recommendation originates from the Safety Board's accident investigation reports, safety studies, or special investigations. If the Board determines that the recommended course of action requires immediate attention to avoid imminent loss due to a similar accident, the safety recommendation is designated "urgent." Typically, urgent recommendations should be implemented within 1 year.
After the Board approves a safety recommendation, it is tracked from the date of issue until it is closed; safety recommendations are closed only by vote of the Safety Board. The online query provides access to the complete database of safety recommendations (open and closed), as well as the associated recommendation letters. Additional correspondence, including related responses and the Board's follow-up letters, is available upon request from the Records Management Division. The Safety Board does not conduct formal studies to determine the costs and benefits that may be realized as a result of its safety recommendations.
| Status | Status Definition |
|---|---|
| CEX | Closed--Exceeds Recommended Action: Response by recipient indicates action on the safety recommendation has been completed. The action taken surpasses what the Safety Board envisioned. |
| CAA | Closed--Acceptable Action: Response by recipient indicates action on the safety recommendation has been completed. The action complies with the safety recommendation. |
| CAAA | Closed--Acceptable Alternate Action: Response by recipient indicates an alternate course of action has been completed that meets the objective of the safety recommendation. |
| CUA | Closed--Unacceptable Action: Response by recipient expresses disagreement with the need outlined in the recommendation. There is no further evidence to offer, and the Safety Board concludes that further correspondence on, or discussion of, the matter would not change the recipient's position. This status can also be used when the timeframe goals outlined in this order have not been met. |
| CUAN | Closed--Unacceptable Action/No Response Received: No response to the recommendation was ever received. |
| CR | Closed--Reconsidered: Recipient rejects the safety recommendation and supports this rejection with a rationale with which the Board concurs. Reasons for the "Reconsidered" status would include situations where the recipient is able to convince the Board that the proposed action would not be effective or that it might create other problems. This status is also assigned when the recipient of a recommendation was in compliance before the recommendation was issued or when the recipient was incorrectly chosen and cannot perform the recommended action. |
| CNLA | Closed--No Longer Applicable: The recommended action has been overtaken by events. For example, if technology and/or regulatory action has eliminated the reason for the recommendation or if a company has gone out of business. |
| CS | Closed--Superseded: Applied to recommendations held in an open status when a new, more appropriate safety recommendation is issued that includes the necessary elements of the recommendation to be closed. |
| CAAS, CAAAS, CUAS |
Closed--Acceptable/Acceptable Alternate/Unacceptable Action Superseded: Applied to recommendations held in an open status when a new, more appropriate safety recommendation is issued that includes the necessary elements of the recommendation to be closed. The Board determines the Acceptable/Acceptable Alternate/Unacceptable status based on the criteria defined above prior to superseding the recommendation. |
| OAA | Open--Acceptable Response: Response by recipient indicates a planned action that would comply with the safety recommendation when completed. |
| OAAR | Open--Acceptable Alternate Response: Response by recipient indicates an alternate plan or implementation program that would satisfy the objective of the safety recommendation when implemented. |
| OUR | Open--Unacceptable Response: Response by recipient expresses disagreement with the need outlined in the recommendation or attempts to convince the Board (unsuccessfully) that an alternative course of action is acceptable. The Board believes, however, that there is enough supporting evidence to ask the recipient to reconsider its position. This status can also be used when the Board believes that action is not being taken in a timely manner. |
| ORR | Open--Response Received: Response has been received from recipient, but staff evaluation of the response has not been approved by the Board Members. |
| OAR | Open--Await Response: When a safety recommendation is issued, the status "Open-Await Response" is automatically assigned. |
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