NASA's Griffin Regrets Agency's Stance On Withholding Report | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-05.12.25

Airborne-NextGen-05.06.25

AirborneUnlimited-05.07.25

Airborne-AffordableFlyers-05.08.25

AirborneUnlimited-05.09.25

Thu, Oct 25, 2007

NASA's Griffin Regrets Agency's Stance On Withholding Report

Says NASA Does Not Place Commercial Interests Ahead Of Safety

In a measured response, on Wednesday NASA Administrator Michael Griffin (shown below) expressed regret over the agency's stated reason for refusing to publicly release a reportedly damning survey of air safety problems, reported by the nation's airline pilots.

As ANN reported, NASA tasked a contractor to conduct the phone survey of roughly 24,000 commercial and general aviation pilots over nearly four years, until the start of 2005. The survey found near-collisions and runway incursions occur much more frequently than the government once thought... as much as twice as often.

The agency then shut down the project... and refused to disclose the results publicly. Last week, NASA took the additional step to order the contractor to purge the survey results.

The Associated Press reports Griffin disagrees with a senior official's written reason for withholding results of the $8.5 million survey. Associate administrator Thomas Luedtke said the agency didn't want the public's confidence in airlines shaken in releasing the report... as that could affect airline profits.

"This rationale was based on case law, but I do not agree with the way it was written," Griffin responded. "I regret the impression that NASA was in any way trying to put commercial interests ahead of public safety. That was not and will never be the case."

Griffin's statement follows his earlier comments, expressing apparent wonderment at repeated denials of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests by The Associated Press to obtain the survey's results.

"I have just been made aware of the issue involving information from a NASA survey of airline pilots regarding safety issues being withheld under the Freedom of Information Act," Griffin asserted Monday.

Revelations of the survey's apparent squelching prompted the House Science and Technology Committee to launch an investigation into NASA's decision to withhold the survey. A public hearing is scheduled for October 31.

Several members of Congress also demand NASA release information of the survey. "We need the information for the safety of the flying public," Florida Senator Bill Nelson, chairman of the Commerce, Science and Transportation subcommittee on space and aeronautics, said Wednesday.

Other lawmakers from the House Science and Technology committee notified Battelle Memorial Institute, the private contractor that conducted the survey, directing it retain all original documents and copies. NASA previously ordered those documents returned, and copies purged from Battelle's computers.

A spokeswoman for Battelle said NASA's instructions was consistent with its contract... implying it's too late for lawmakers to get those documents from the company.

FMI: www.nasa.gov

Advertisement

More News

Airborne 05.05.25: NTSB Holland Prelim, Airlines v Tariffs, $$$ For ATC

Also: 787-Billion Pax, Ryanair Buying Chinese, Ballooning HoF, ERAU MX Competition An NTSB Preliminary report is shedding some light on the Rob Holland tragedy. And there now seems>[...]

Airborne 05.07.25: Talon A-2 Hypersonic, FIFI Under Repair, Spirit Furloughs

Also: Tricky Golf Course Deadstick, Textron Special Olympics, Artemis II, FlightSimExpo! Stratolaunch conducted the second successful launch and recovery of its Talon-A2 autonomous>[...]

Airborne Affordable Flyers 05.08.25: Blackshape Test, Risen, Alto NG Sells Out

Also: Rotax Service Instruction, LAA Jabiru Alert, New AMA Boss, FlightSimExpo ANN’s Jim Campbell got an hour in the SLEEK Blackshape Prime last week along with a chance to w>[...]

Aero-News: Quote of the Day (05.11.25)

“Secretary Duffy’s plan cements America as a global leader in aviation, investing in both technology and the air traffic control workforce to enhance U.S. aviation safe>[...]

NTSB Final Report: Schleicher Alexander GMBH & CO ASH 26 E

Witnesses Described That The Glider Pitched Up Before Entering A Nose Low, Left Descending Turn Analysis: The 84-year-old pilot was being towed for takeoff in his glider when the a>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC