FAA may keep bird strike records confidential

[RamboLiberal]

Source: MSNBC/AP

WASHINGTON - The Federal Aviation Administration is proposing to keep secret from travelers and the public its vast records on how frequently and where commercial planes are damaged by hitting flying birds.

The agency's formal secrecy proposal came just after FAA officials had said they were going to release the huge database to The Associated Press in response to a Freedom of Information Act request.

As President Barack Obama promises a more open government, the FAA says it needs to expand secrecy to cover this safety data because if the public learned the information then airports and air carriers wouldn't report damage from birds.

"To have the government actually chill public access to safety information is a step backward," said James Hall, former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board. "Public awareness is an essential part of any strong safety program."

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29916584/

[SkyDaddy7]

1. WTF?

Show the numbers and then show how almost every bird strike is a non event...The days of the public needs to be protected by hiding info needs to stop!

[sallylou666]

2. Open Records Act Request

Request under the Open Records Act, anyone? How can they possibly say that it's vital to security with a straight face?

[asjr]

3. Good heavens, who killed Cock Robin?

[tomm2thumbs]

4. if they do that, this will DEFINITELY go to court

a mockery of 'freedom of the information act' exceptions

[No Elephants]

9. It will go to court only if you and I donate to organizations like ACLU.

[dansolo]

5. Can't the government force the airports and carriers to keep those records

I don't see this as a voluntary issue. The government could easily demand that all bird strike information be kept and reported.

[truthisfreedom]

6. They're sending a coded message here... that there's specific regions where the incidence of bird

strikes is shockingly high... and that travelers are at remarkable risk in those areas.

[Robb]

7. Seems to be an extension of the crash report secrecy thingy

...IIRC participants in a mishap investigation are promised the information gathered will be used exclusively toward the purpose of preventing future mishaps. Not to assign blame or what-not... the idea being that forthright participation is more likely from anyone involved under those conditions, and they can better go after figuring out what happened and how to prevent it.

I think the FAA might be right here, oddly enough. If reporting bird strikes would hurt a particular airport with negative press, it would have a chilling effect on those involved in reporting them, one way or another, because it's their job on the line when the boss gives you a nod and a wink on keeping that mishap sheet clean. Sort of like the home appraiser who won't get another gig from the mortgage company if he doesn't get to a particular number.

Unless you park an independent auditor at every airport, which I can't see working well.

Under-reporting bird strikes serves no one. Keeping the reporting secret serves at least someone. Does anyone see a better solution? :shrug:

[No Elephants]

10. Arem't the pilots and the black boxes on the planes the "reporters" here, though, not the

airports?

Seems to me the secrecy protects the airline industry in general by not letting the public get skittish about flying.

Besides, wouldn't stiff fines for failure to report deter airports from under-reporting?

How about airports, airlines and the FAA tracking bird migrations via satellite or something like that.

Even if the objective is worthy, government keeping the American public in the dark about ANYTHING should be the last resort, not the first option people fall back on.

[gratuitous]

8. Absolutley spot on

I mean, shoot, if a bunch of planes are at risk at one airport or another, why should the flying public have any information about that? Just because they're putting their lives on the line is no reason they should have this data. And by restricting the number of people with access to this information, we'll surely come up with a much better solution because it will be left strictly to the professionals, who never let personal considerations cloud their judgment.

[No Elephants]

11. The federal professionals, who are always right and never use political "solutions."