Ask My Sky Mom. Aviation wit and wisdom.

Hey Mom,                                        Watch this segment on YouTube!

I actually had another question but when I saw that you mentioned the NASA form on the form to submit my question, I figured I’d better start by asking what that is. Is this something I should know about or are you messing with me?

Don’t-Know-What-I-Don’t-Know

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Dear Dunno,

Yep, the NASA form is definitely one of those things you should be aware of. The Aviation Safety Reporting System is handled by NASA since it was realized early in the game that pilots would not be inclined to report their lapses to the FAA even with the promise of anonymity. That old saw, “I’m from the FAA and I’m here to help,”, fair or not, will often elicit nervous laughter from paranoid pilots. Unless they happen to be employees of the FAA at which point the hanger falls conspicuously silent and you turn redder than a repainted Pitts and slink away.

The idea is that, should you bust a reg unintentionally (and that unintentionally part is key), or witness some other unsafe situation, you should report this in an effort to improve the system. After all, it’s a rare pilot who finds a new way to get him/herself in trouble. Odds are good that if it’s happened to you, it’s happened before or will again. You, your airplane, and your airport are de-identified and the details of your sin compiled in the database for the edification of your fellow aviators. Check this database out. Really. There’s an awful lot to be learned from other people’s mistakes.

So all right, it aint the FAA, but still. Why would I want to document, even anonymously, a mistake I made? There is indeed a carrot. The carrot is the withholding of the stick. Should the FAA find out about your gaffe through some other channel, say, an air traffic controller or the muddy marks beside the runway -hey, I’m not asking!- they may decide to investigate. (Rest assured that the filing of your report WILL NOT be what instigated the investigation. In more than 30 years of this program’s existence, NASA has not once breached confidentiality. The FAA is not allowed even to ask them for any information you may have provided). If you did submit a report within 10 days of the incident or occurrence, in most cases the FAA will waive the fine or punitive action. Wait, you say. How will they know? Wasn’t my identity completely detached from my report? Well, yes. You see, NASA returns, electronically or physically (depending upon how you submitted your report), a receipt that you can produce when the feds come a’knockin’. Unless you reported criminal behavior or an accident (see NTSB part 830 for the definition of accident vs. incident), having voluntarily provided your side of the story is considered evidence of a constructive attitude on your part. It’s recognized that pilots who learn from their mistake will be much safer pilots in the future. This is exactly what the feds are trying to encourage. Contrary to popular opinion, we ARE all on the same side here!
One caveat: you can only expect to use this as the figurative “get out of jail free” card once every 5 years. File reports as often as things come up. Just expect that should you be continuously busting regulations, they will not be able to continuously waive the consequences. But hey, once every 5 years is more than most of us should need! A second exemption is intentional or criminal flaunting of the regs. Accidents will also be excluded.
Some pilots always keep a paper copy of the NASA form in their flight bag. It can also be found, and submitted, online on the ASRS website. Go to http://asrs.asc.nasa.gov to access it as well as all of the information available about the program, including the database. You can also read Advisory Circular 00-46D to see what the FAA has to say about the program.
May your flying be safe and uneventful, but rest assured that there are systems and programs in place to help keep you out of trouble should the unexpected occur.

Straighten up and fly right,
Mom

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You’ve got questions?  I’ll find you an answer.  Email your aviation related question to mom@myskymom.com and check out myskymom.com to read the answers to questions previously posed. The more you know, the safer you’ll be.  Read on, and fly safe!

~ by myskymom on March 13, 2009.