NASA Set To Release Pilot Safety Survey

In response to mounting public and congressional pressure, NASA Administrator Michael Griffin reversed course and announced last month that his agency would release the results from the National Aviation Operations Monitoring Service (NAOMS) project, an $11.3 million aviation safety survey. Between April 2001 and December 2004, the project team surveyed some 24,000 airline pilots and 5,000 general aviation pilots. NASA earlier refused to release the data because it might “affect the public confidence in, and the commercial welfare of, the air carriers and general aviation companies.” The agency now plans to release a final report based on the study by year-end.