Originally Posted by
Excargodog
There reaches a point where due diligence REQUIRES a safety agency, you know, like the National Transportation SAFETY Board, to report issues, ESPECIALLY those which could significantly impact fleets or navigation systems. Saying ‘we didn’t think you needed to know and we didn’t want you to worry your silly heads over the matter’ didn’t work for the FAA and Boeing with MCAS and it won’t work with the general public if there is another mishap involving the same problem.
Yeah, the government has sovereign immunity but qualified immunity for government employees? Well, Colorado has already removed it under their state laws.
I would hate to be the NTSB guy who knew about a systemic airline safety problem and was sitting on that knowledge to keep from rocking the boat, when the next mishap happened. They might find themselves open to civil damages AND criminal charges.
It’s time for the NTSB to get the report out.
There's a difference between "knowing", "suspecting", and "proving it".
They pretty much have to know it before they slap down recommendations (NTSB) or directives (FAA). In an emergency they don't have to prove it first but suspecting isn't good enough. Industry groups and aviation associations tend to push back hard legally and politically against edicts like the half-baked AD's that we see from time to time.
Also the NTSB does have to maintain credibility, in the interest of the big-picture, and shooting from the hip is counter-productive to that.