As part of a $8.5 million project, experts surveyed 24,000 pilots working in civil aviation and the commercial transport market over four years. The last interview took place in early 2005, and processing of the results was completed more than a year ago. However, the space agency never published the results of the study, deciding that this data should not be made public. Moreover, about a week ago, NASA ordered the contractor company to delete all data about this work from its computers.
The Associated Press received information about the results of NASA's research from a source closely familiar with the project. He agreed to provide information on condition of full anonymity. An official representative of NASA management, Thomas Ludtke, told the agency that disclosure of the study results could undermine public trust in airlines and negatively affect their profits. Ludtke acknowledged that the project results allow 'to form a complete picture of some aspects of the American aviation industry.'
For 14 months, journalists unsuccessfully tried to obtain the study data under the Freedom of Information Act. 'Providing the requested information, which is very significant and related to safety, could undermine people's trust in aviation, which would have a detrimental effect on the financial condition of airlines whose pilots participated in this survey,' Ludtke said in a letter to the Associated Press. As an additional reason for refusal, the NASA representative cited the confidentiality of personal information about pilots – but this is just an excuse: the study does not list company names or pilot names, each of whom was promised full anonymity.
During the interviews, pilots said that over the past years, the number of bird strikes, mid-air collisions, and unauthorized runway incursions has at least doubled. According to the source, these data are also confirmed by government monitoring services. The study also showed that the number of pilots who have found themselves in a 'dangerous proximity to the ground' situation is much higher than previously thought: many managed to regain control of the aircraft literally at the last minute.
Experts at the Ames Research Center, which is part of NASA, said that their own report on the project will be released by the end of the year.
Most people associate NASA with space flights, but the agency has extensive experience in safety research. Among other issues, agency specialists study atmospheric phenomena, the properties of materials used in aircraft, and engage in aircraft design.
'If flying is not safe, I want to know about it,' said Congressman Brad Miller, head of investigations at the House Science and Technology Committee. 'I would prefer not to have a false sense of security.' Commenting on NASA's decision not to release the study data, the congressman noted, 'There is a bad smell to all this.'
Last week, Miller asked NASA to provide the committee he oversees in the House Science and Technology Committee with the information obtained from the survey. In addition, Miller demanded that the agency explain its decision not to disclose this data. 'This data is of great value to aviation safety, but it cannot be kept at NASA,' Miller wrote in a letter to NASA chief Michael Griffin.
The purpose of the survey was to find new ways of monitoring the safety situation. According to NASA, there is nothing in the study that could worry the Federal Aviation Administration. A source familiar with the project noted that, according to the study, there have been obvious improvements in some issues related to flight safety.
Project managers occasionally mentioned the Federal Aviation Administration in their presentations. At a briefing in April 2003, representatives of the FAA expressed concern about the large number of incidents described by pilots, adding that the data obtained by NASA differed significantly from the information collected through the agency's own monitoring.
FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said she doubts the effectiveness of NASA's methods. Management of the agency is confident that it can recognize safety problems before they lead to accidents.
The research team is proud that 80% of pilots agreed to answer their questions. 'This is reliable data,' said Robert Dodd, an aviation safety expert who led the project. 'Our methodology was carefully developed. This is a genuine scientific project.'
Recently, NASA instructed its contractor, the Battelle Memorial Institute research institute, and its subcontractors to gather all information about the project and delete it from their computer hard drives by October 30.