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How can I talk to the investigator in charge for an accident?
Contact the Office of Public Affairs and one of the Public Affairs Officers will assist you.
How do I find the investigator who wrote a specific report? Why are their names not listed on the report?
Final reports are products of the agency. Contact the Office of Public Affairs for assistance.
Why can’t I sign up to get an alert when a report is posted on the NTSB Web site?
The Safety Board does not send out alerts for reports at this time. Once an aviation factual report is published you can monitor “Investigators nearing Completion” to see when the final report will be issued http://www.ntsb.gov/avweb/.
How do I get on your press release list?
How can I reach one of your Board Members? How do I request an interview with one of them?
Contact the Office of Public Affairs and a Public Affairs Officer will assist you with your request.
Where do I get photos/graphics of a particular accident? Of NTSB accidents in general?
Most photographs and graphics of a particular accident are available in the public docket of a particular accident investigation. Contact the Records Management Branch at 202-314-6551 for assistance.
How do I find an expert on a particular subject for an interview?
You should contact the Office of Public Affairs to arrange an interview.
Why can’t the NTSB provide information about/updates on foreign accidents? What do NTSB investigators do at a foreign accident? Why do they go?
The NTSB is prohibited by Annex 13 of ICAO from releasing information about foreign accidents even if we are participants in the investigation. Safety Board investigators serve as accredited representatives and provide technical expertise to their foreign counterparts.
How can I call in to a press conference at an accident site?
The Safety Board does not have call-in capabilities at this time.
What is a party to an investigation? How do I find out who the parties are/were for a particular accident?
The NTSB designates other organizations or corporations as parties to the investigation to provide technical expertise. Other than the FAA, which by law is automatically designated a party, the NTSB has complete discretion over which organizations it designates as parties to the investigation. Often during the investigation process the Safety Board state announces who the parties are. In a major investigation, the parties to an investigation are listed in the final reports.
Can I take courses at the NTSB Training Center as a member of the media? Will there be a fee?
Courses at the NTSB Training Center are open to the media and the general public. There are fees for some of the courses.
I need transportation statistics. Where can I find them on your Web site?
How do I find out when a board meeting/public hearing/public forum, etc. will be scheduled?
These announcements are available on the Safety Board’s website. Also, if you subscribe to the Board’s listserv e-mail system you will get the announcements sent directly to your e-mail.
How do I find out the status of a particular safety recommendation? How do I find out what safety recommendations the NTSB has issued to a particular organization?
There is a safety recommendation data base available on the Safety Board’s web site http://www.ntsb.gov/Recs/letters/letters.htm. You can find recommendations and all the subsequent correspondence to and from the particular organizations.
Why doesn’t the NTSB give out information about operators and passengers? Where can I get information about their identities and status?
The National Transportation Safety Board does not release personal indentifying information of persons involved in transportation accident. Additionally, NTSB policy prohibits the release or verification of names of passengers/employees involved in a transportation disaster regardless of whether they were injured or killed. A copy of a death certificate can be obtained only from the jurisdiction in which the victim was positively identified and the coroner or medical examiner issued a death certificate.
Isn’t NTSB a part of the U.S. DOT?
The NTSB is not a part of the U.S. DOT or any other government agency. It is an independent Federal agency charged by Congress with investigating every civil aviation accident in the United States and significant accidents in the other modes of transportation -- railroad, highway, marine and pipeline -- and issuing safety recommendations aimed at preventing future accidents.
Why doesn’t the NTSB investigate criminal or terrorist acts that cause transportation crashes? Who does investigate such acts?
The Safety Board does not investigate criminal activity. Once it has been established that a transportation tragedy is, in fact, a criminal act, the FBI becomes the lead federal investigative body, with the NTSB providing any requested support.
I am with a documentary company and would like to access old files/records/reports/photos/animations of particular accidents. How do I go about that?
You can contact General Microfilm at 304-267-5830 which houses most of the Safety Board’s dockets which contains files, records, photos, animations, etc. In addition, there is a library of Safety Board animations on our website http://www.ntsb.gov/Publictn/animations.htm.
What are the criteria/thresholds/decision points that the NTSB uses when deciding whether not to take an investigation?
The NTSB investigates an accident when there is a fatality, substantial damage done to the aircraft, a vehicle or property. A more in-depth description of the Safety Board’s criteria for investigating an accident can be found on our website http://www.ntsb.gov/Abt_NTSB/What-Is-The-NTSB.pdf.
How do I get a copy of the CVR/FDR recording? The transcripts?
Why does the NTSB investigate pipeline accidents – that is not considered a form of transportation, is it?
Pipelines are considered modes of transportation because a type of product travels through a pipeline. The Safety Board investigates pipeline accidents involving a fatality or substantial property damage. The Board has conducted investigations of accidents on pipelines that transport natural gas, highly volatile liquids, and other petroleum products, some of which pass through highly populated urban areas.
Why can’t the NTSB shut down a flight school/carrier/operator in the wake of accidents and investigations?
The NTSB does not have the authority to enforce any regulations on guidelines on the function of flight schools, carriers and/or operators. That is the role of regulatory agencies.
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