National Transportation Safety Board
Contents
National Transportation Safety Board
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is a federal agency that investigates transportation accidents to determine probable causes and issue safety recommendations. The NTSB's data and statistics programs are not focused on broad national accident trends, which are generally collected by other modal agencies like the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Instead, the NTSB's programs are centered on in-depth data from the specific accidents they investigate.
Key Data and Statistics Programs
The NTSB's data is organized by transportation mode and is made available to the public through its website. The most significant data-related programs are:
| • | Accident Databases: The NTSB maintains detailed databases for each mode of transportation. These are a primary resource for researchers, industry professionals, and the public. |
| o | Aviation: The NTSB maintains the official census of all civil aviation accidents in the U.S. from 1962 to the present. The data includes details on the aircraft, location, type of accident, injuries, and a brief synopsis. |
| o | Highway: The NTSB investigates a small number of significant highway crashes, focusing on those involving commercial vehicles, school buses, or those that have a high number of fatalities. The detailed reports and associated data for these specific crashes are publicly available. |
| o | Railroad: The NTSB investigates major railroad accidents and publishes detailed reports. The data from these investigations, which include information on derailments, collisions, and hazardous materials releases, is compiled and made public. |
| o | Marine: For marine accidents, the NTSB investigates major casualties and publishes findings, including data on vessel type, location, and cause of the incident. |
Interactive Dashboards and Reports
In addition to the raw data, the NTSB provides more user-friendly ways to access its information:
| • | Interactive Dashboards: The agency has developed interactive dashboards, such as the General Aviation Accident Dashboard, that allow users to explore accident data with filters for different variables like year, state, and type of flight. |
| • | Safety Research and Statistical Reviews: The NTSB uses the data it collects to publish statistical reviews and safety research reports. These reports analyze trends and emerging safety issues across all modes of transportation, using data to justify their safety recommendations. |
NTSB Recommendations Data
One of the NTSB's most important products is its safety recommendations. The agency tracks the status of every recommendation it has issued, providing statistics on how many have been implemented, are still open, or have been closed. This data is available through the NTSB's CAROL (Case Analysis and Reporting Online) search tool, which allows users to search by mode, status, and recipient (e.g., FAA, Department of Transportation).