The Creation of the NTSB

 

The Creation of the NTSB

        The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) originated from the Air Commerce Act of 1926, where the responsibility was provided to "investigate, record and make public the causes of accidents of air navigation in the United States" (1926). This responsibility was given to the Civil Aeronautics Board's Bureau of Aviation Safety in 1940. It wasn't until 1967 by the signing of the Department of Transportation (DOT) Act by President Johnson officially created the NTSB by "consolidating" (NTSB, n.d.) all transportation agencies and allowing the NSTB to operate independently within the DOT. It was later designated by Congress in 1974 that the NTSB would be a completely separate entity from all other agencies in the United States, primary focus on accident investigation and objective oversight recommendations (NTSB, n.d.). 

        I think that this action by the US Congress and the support by legislative representatives highlight the importance and understanding of the obligation regulators held towards its citizens. But, recognizing the need to investigate accidents to better understand causes for improvement was a key role in the development of the NTSB. Though already in the function of the Department of Commerce at the time, designating a specific department with very specific responsibilities to allow a direct focus on the overall safety of air travel and airworthiness in the United States. I think this is very key to our success in aviation because during the late 1960s there was a growing number of aircraft entering the skies and a growing number of accidents. As you can see below in a raw data chart, the total number of crashes began to reduce by the 1980s. I believe this has a lot to do with the engagement from the NTSB with different operators and carriers on the safety recommendations and oversight they were able to provide. 

National Transportation Safety Board (n.d.) History of the National Transportation Safety Board. Retrieved from: https://www.ntsb.gov/about/history/Pages/default.aspx

United States Congress (1926) Promotion of Air Commerce. Session 1, CH. 344, Section 2(e). Retrieved from: https://libraryonline.erau.edu/online-full-text/books-online/aircommerceact1926.pdf

Unknown (2022) Causes of Fatal accidents by Decade. Retrieved from: http://www.planecrashinfo.com/cause.htm