What NASA Won't Tell You About Air Safety

rabble writes "According to a report out of Washington, NASA wants to avoid telling you about how unsafe you are when you fly. According to the article, when an $8.5M safety study of about 24,000 pilots indicated an alarming number of near collisions and runway incidents, NASA refused to release the results. The article quotes one congressman as saying 'There is a faint odor about it all.' A friend of mine who is a general aviation pilot responded to the article by saying 'It's scary but no surprise to those of us who fly.'"

Comments

He should have never stopped snorting coke

[Pojut]

According to the article, when an $8.5M safety study of about 24,000 pilots indicated an alarming number of near collisions and runway incidents, NASA refused to release the results.

"When two planes almost collide, they call it a near miss....IT'S A NEAR HIT! A collision is a near miss...::BOOM::...look, they nearly missed."

Re:The really dangerous part about air travel....

[Anonymous Coward]

Also:

Airline food (when you can get it)
In-flight movies (once saw Dirty Dancing Havana Nights on both legs of a 1 stop flight from Vegas)
Senators in the mens room

Congressman commenting on "odor"?

[R2.0]

"'There is a faint odor about it all.' "

Isn't that like Pigpen remarking on someone's bathing habits?

Oh, yeah.

[Estanislao Mart�nez]

Airline food (when you can get it)

Important hint: DON'T PICK THE FISH.

Real Reason for Incident Increase...

[quite_sick]

...inexplicable rise in the number of home-made Nigerian helicopters and Sputniks crowding the airspace.

Re:Is it really NASA who is witholding info?

[Otter]

Not to mention that as a matter of jurisdiction, this is much more an FAA area than a NASA one.

Only if these "near misses" are with terrestrial craft, which I think we all realize isn't the case.

Re:Close != close call

[Tmack]

... Planes, like cars, have specific altitudes they must fly based on their compass heading and nature of their flight.

Hmmm my car seems to be missing the altimiter and compass and "flying mode" options...

tm

Re:Flying versus driving

[StikyPad]

Exactly -- flying is still safer. Especially if you're planning to drive across an ocean. Somebody with a brain (or someone highly suggestible) please mod parent up.