GAO to Probe NASA Av Safety Data

The U.S. House Committee on Science and Technology has asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to analyze massive amounts of data on U.S. air safety that NASA made public late last year. NASA acquired the data as part of the National Aviation Operations Monitoring Service (NAOMS) pilot survey---collected at taxpayer expense---on the safety of U.S. air travel. But NASA officials have repeatedly said that they have no intention of analyzing the data. The panel requests that the GAO promptly provide the Committee with an appropriate analysis of this data. The lawmakers said calculations could provide insight into the accuracy of FAA data reporting systems, the accuracy of the NAOMS survey itself and may point to important safety issues that would require further study. “When the public pays for five years of government work designed to help us improve flying safety, I think the public deserves to get a report back on what was learned. NASA won’t do the work, so I am asking the GAO to bring back some answers to the Committee that we can then share with the country,” said Rep. Bart Gordon (D-TN), the committee chairman.