In an appearance before the US House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, the chair of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) called for investigators to have access to more information, including cockpit video recorders and longer cockpit voice recorder (CVR) recordings.
Jennifer Homendy, who began her testimony, called “FAA [Federal Aviation Administration – ed. note] Reauthorization: Enhancing America’s Gold Standard in Aviation Safety”, remarked that the efforts of many stakeholders have led to the US having a “record level of safety, as the number of deaths associated with US civil aviation accidents decreased from 541 in 2009 to 376 in 2021, a decrease of roughly one-third”.
Although the board “does not have the power to create operating standards, nor can we certify organizations, individuals, or equipment,” the chairwoman continued to underscore that the NTSB can only make recommendations. “does not have authority to promulgate operating standards, nor do we certificate organizations and individuals.