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{{Organization
|OrganizationName=National Transportation Safety Board
|OrganizationType=Independent Agencies
|Mission=The National Transportation Safety Board investigates transportation accidents to determine probable causes, issues safety recommendations aimed at preventing future accidents, and promotes transportation safety across all modes of transportation including aviation, highway, marine, rail, and pipeline.
|CreationLegislation=Department of Transportation Act of 1966
|Employees=400
|Budget=$121 million (Fiscal Year 2023)
|OrganizationExecutive=Chairperson
|Services=Accident investigation; Safety recommendations; Advocacy for transportation safety; Public education
|HeadquartersLocation=38.88375, -77.02441
|HeadquartersAddress=490 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Washington, DC 20594, USA
|Website=https://www.ntsb.gov
}}
{{Short description|US government investigative agency for civil transportation accidents}}

{{Infobox government agency
| agency_name     = National Transportation Safety Board
| seal            = US-NTSB-Seal.svg
| seal_width      = 140 px
| seal_caption    = Official seal and emblem
| formed          = April 1, 1967<ref name="NTSB Lessons Learned">{{cite web |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/safety/safety-studies/Documents/SR0501.pdf |title=We Are All Safer: Lessons Learned and Lives Saved 1975–2005. 3rd ed. Safety Report NTSB/SR-05/01. |publisher=National Transportation Safety Board |access-date=December 18, 2015 |archive-date=March 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305195504/http://www.ntsb.gov/safety/safety-studies/Documents/SR0501.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
| preceding1      = [[Civil Aeronautics Board]]
| dissolved       = 
| superseding     = 
| jurisdiction    = [[United States]]
| employees       = 437 (2024)<ref name="NTSB Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 Media Briefing">{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/live/kGWLBLb9Pm4?si=plwecZC49PpbiqH1 |title=NTSB Media Brief - Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 (Jan 8) livestream |publisher=National Transportation Safety Board |access-date=January 10, 2024 }}</ref>
| budget          = [[United States dollar|US$]]145 million (2024)
| headquarters    = 490 [[L'Enfant Plaza|L'Enfant Plaza SW]], [[Washington, D.C.]]
| chief1_name     = [[Jennifer Homendy]]
| chief1_position = Chairwoman
| chief2_name     = ''Vacant''
| chief2_position = Vice Chairman
| parent_agency   = [[Federal government of the United States]]
| child1_agency   = 
| website         = {{URL|https://www.ntsb.gov/|ntsb.gov}}
| footnotes       = 
}}

The '''National Transportation Safety Board''' ('''NTSB''') is an [[Independent agencies of the United States government|independent U.S. government investigative agency]] responsible for civil transportation [[accident investigation]]. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on [[aviation accidents and incidents]], certain types of [[car accident|highway crashes]], [[ship transport|ship and marine accidents]], [[pipeline transport|pipeline incidents]], [[list of bridge failures|bridge failures]], and [[railroad accident]]s.<ref name="49 USC 1131">{{usc|49|1131}}</ref> The NTSB is also in charge of investigating cases of [[hazardous materials]] releases that occur during transportation. The agency is based in [[Washington, D.C.]] 

It has four regional offices, located in 

* [[Anchorage, Alaska]]; 
* [[Denver, Colorado]]; 
* [[Ashburn, Virginia]]; and 
* [[Seattle, Washington]]<ref name="Archives Inspection">{{cite web |url=https://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/resources/ntsb-inspection.pdf |title=Records Management Oversight Inspection Report 2014 |author=Office of the Chief Records Officer |publisher=[[National Archives and Records Administration]] |date=December 19, 2014 |access-date=December 20, 2015 |archive-date=March 15, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150315214421/https://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/resources/ntsb-inspection.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> 

The agency also operated a national training center at its Ashburn facility.<ref name="NTSB Training Center">{{cite web |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/training_center/Pages/TrainingCenter.aspx |title=NTSB Training Center |publisher=National Transportation Safety Board |access-date=December 20, 2015 |archive-date=December 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222154152/http://www.ntsb.gov/training_center/Pages/TrainingCenter.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>

==History==
[[File:NTSBheadquarters.jpg|thumb|NTSB headquarters]]

The origin of the NTSB was in the [[Air Commerce Act]] of 1926, which assigned the [[United States Department of Commerce]] responsibility for investigating domestic aviation accidents.<ref name="NTSB History">{{cite web |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/about/history/pages/default.aspx |title=History of The National Transportation Safety Board |publisher=National Transportation Safety Board |access-date=December 20, 2015 |archive-date=May 12, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160512043629/http://www.ntsb.gov/about/history/pages/default.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> Before the NTSB, the [[Federal Aviation Administration]]'s (FAA; at the time the [[Civil aviation authority|CAA]]/[[Civil Aviation Authority]]) independence was questioned as it was investigating itself and would be biased to find external faults, coalescing with the [[1931 Transcontinental & Western Air Fokker F-10 crash|1931 crash]] killing Notre Dame coach [[Knute Rockne]]<ref name=AvWeek8nov2018>{{cite news |url= http://aviationweek.com/commercial-aviation/opinion-when-near-accident-requires-deeper-investigation |title= Opinion: When A Near-Accident Requires Deeper Investigation |date= November 8, 2018 |author= William Tuccio |work= Aviation Week & Space Technology |access-date= November 20, 2018 |archive-date= November 14, 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181114233929/http://aviationweek.com/commercial-aviation/opinion-when-near-accident-requires-deeper-investigation |url-status= live }}</ref> and the [[TWA Flight 6|1935 crash]] that killed [[Bronson M. Cutting|Senator Bronson Cutting.]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Freeze |first=Christopher |date=March 2021 |title=ALPA at 90: Accident Investigation |url=https://www.alpa.org/news-and-events/air-line-pilot-magazine/accident-investigation |website=alpa.org |access-date=May 20, 2023 |archive-date=May 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520015340/https://www.alpa.org/news-and-events/air-line-pilot-magazine/accident-investigation |url-status=live }}</ref> The US's first "independent" ''Air Safety Board'' was established in 1938:<ref>Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938</ref> it lasted only fourteen months.<ref>U.S. Senate. Select Committee on Government Organization. A Resolution Disapproving Reorganization Plan Numbered IV, Hearings. May 9–10, 1940.</ref> In 1940, this authority was transferred to the [[Civil Aeronautics Board]]'s newly formed Bureau of Aviation Safety.<ref name="NTSB History" />

In 1967, Congress created a separate cabinet-level [[United States Department of Transportation|Department of Transportation]], which among other things, established the Federal Aviation Administration as an agency under the DOT.<ref name="FAA History">{{cite web |title=A Brief History of the FAA |url=https://www.faa.gov/about/history/brief_history |publisher=Federal Aviation Administration |access-date=December 20, 2015 |archive-date=January 20, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170120205331/https://www.faa.gov/about/history/brief_history/ |url-status=live }}</ref> At the same time, the NTSB was established as an independent agency which absorbed the Bureau of Aviation Safety's responsibilities.<ref name="FAA History" /> However, from 1967 to 1975, the NTSB reported to the DOT for administrative purposes, while conducting investigations into the Federal Aviation Administration, also a DOT agency.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Fidell |first1=Eugene R. |title=Improving Competence in the Merchant Marine: Suspension and Revocation Proceedings |journal=Missouri Law Review |date=Winter 1980 |volume=45 |issue=a |page=25}}</ref>

To avoid any conflict, Congress passed the [[Independent Safety Board Act of 1974|Independent Safety Board Act]], and on April 1, 1975, the NTSB became a fully [[independent agency]].<ref name="NTSB Lessons Learned" /><ref name="NTSB History" /> {{As of|2015}}, the NTSB has investigated over 140,000 aviation incidents and several thousand surface transportation incidents.<ref name="NTSB 2014 Annual">{{Cite web |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/about/reports/Documents/2014_Annual_Report.pdf |title=Annual Report to Congress 2014 |publisher=National Transportation Safety Board |access-date=December 18, 2015 |archive-date=September 5, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905195552/http://www.ntsb.gov/about/reports/Documents/2014_Annual_Report.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Organization==
Formally, the "National Transportation Safety Board" refers to a five-manager investigative board whose five members are nominated by the President and confirmed by the [[United States Senate|Senate]] for five-year terms.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Fielding |first1=Eric |last2=Lo |first2=Andrew W. |last3=Yang |first3=Jian Helen |title=The National Transportation Safety Board: A Model for Systemic Risk Management |journal=Journal of Investment Risk Management |date=2011 |volume=First Quarter |doi=10.2139/ssrn.1695781|s2cid=167346503 }}</ref> Board members may continue to serve until a successor is confirmed and takes office.<ref name="49 USC 1111">{{usc|49|1111}}</ref> No more than three of the five members may be from the same political party.<ref name="49 USC 1111" /> One of the five board members is nominated as the Chair by the President and then approved by the Senate for a fixed three-year term; another is designated as vice-chair for a fixed three-year term and who becomes acting chair when there is no formal chair.<ref name="TBANTSB">[https://www.ntsb.gov/about/board/Pages/default.aspx The Board at NTSB] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200603071934/https://www.ntsb.gov/about/board/Pages/default.aspx |date=June 3, 2020 }} Retrieved June 18, 2014</ref><ref name="49 USC 1111" /> This board is authorized by Congress under Chapter 11, Title 49 of the [[United States Code]] to investigate civil aviation, highway, marine, pipeline, and railroad accidents and incidents.<ref>{{usc|49|1101|1155}}</ref> This five-member board is authorized to establish and manage separate sub-offices for highway, marine, aviation, railroad, pipeline, and hazardous materials investigations.<ref name="49 USC 1111" />

Since its creation, the NTSB's primary mission has been "to determine the probable cause of transportation accidents and incidents and to formulate safety recommendations to improve [[Transportation safety in the United States|transportation safety (in the USA)]]".<ref name="NTSB 2014 Annual" /> Based on the results of investigations within its jurisdiction, the NTSB issues formal safety recommendations to agencies and institutions with the power to implement those recommendations.<ref name="NTSB Lessons Learned" /> The NTSB considers safety recommendations to be its primary tool for preventing future civil transportation accidents.<ref name="NTSB Lessons Learned" /> However, the NTSB does not have the authority to enforce its safety recommendations.<ref name="NTSB 2014 Annual" />

===Current board members===
{{main|List of members of the National Transportation Safety Board}}
The current board members as of September 24, 2024:<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/about/board/Pages/default.aspx |title=The NTSB Board |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=<!--Not stated--> |website=NTSB.gov |publisher=National Transportation Safety Board |access-date=September 24, 2024}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Position
! scope="col" "width:20%" | Name
! Party
! Took office
! Term expires
|-
! Chair
| {{sortname|Jennifer|Homendy}}
| {{party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic
| {{dts|2021|08|13}} (as chair)<br />{{dts|2018|08|20}} (as member)
| {{dts|2027|08|13}} (as chair)<br />{{dts|2029|12|31}} (as member)
|-
! Member
| {{sortname|Michael|Graham|Michael Graham (NTSB)}}
| {{party shading/Republican}} | Republican
| {{dts|2020|01|03}}
| {{dts|2025|12|31}}
|-
! Member
| {{sortname|Thomas B.|Chapman}}
| {{party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic
| {{dts|2020|01|06}}
| {{dts|2023|12|31}}
|-
! Member
| {{sortname|Alvin|Brown}}
| {{party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic
| {{dts|2024|03|13}}
| {{dts|2026|12|31}}
|-
! Member
| {{sortname|J. Todd|Inman}}
| {{party shading/Republican}} | Republican
| {{dts|2024|03|13}}
| {{dts|2027|12|31}}
|}

===Nominations===
President [[Joe Biden|Biden]] has nominated the following to fill a seat on the board. They await Senate confirmation.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.congress.gov/quick-search/nominations?wordsPhrases=National+Transportation+Safety+Board&wordVariants=on&congressGroups%5B0%5D=0&congresses%5B0%5D=118&nomCivil=on&nomOther=on&pnNumbers=&nomineeNames=&positions=&organizations=&stateTerritories%5B0%5D=any&nominationAction=&dates=datesReceivedInSenate&dateOperator=equal&startDate=&endDate=&dateIsOption=yesterday&qs_expand=false |title=Quick Search National Transportation Safety Board |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=<!--Not stated--> |website=Congress.gov |publisher=Library of Congress |access-date=September 24, 2024}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Name !! Party !! Term expires !! Replacing
|-
| {{sortname|Thomas B.|Chapman}} || {{party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic || {{dts|2028|12|31}} || Reappointment
|}

==Accident and incident investigations==
[[File:NTSBAsiana214Engine.jpg|thumb|NTSB "go team" members at the [[Asiana Airlines Flight 214]] crash site]]
[[File:NTSB 2015 Philadelphia train derailment 2.jpg|thumb|NTSB investigators on-scene at the [[2015 Philadelphia train derailment]]]]

The NTSB is the lead agency in investigating a civil transportation accident or incident within its sphere. An investigation of a major accident within the [[United States]] typically starts with the creation of a "go team", composed of specialists in fields relating to the incident who are rapidly deployed to the incident location.<ref name="Archives Inspection" /> The "go team" can have as few as three people or as many as a dozen, depending on the nature of the incident.<ref name="Archives Inspection" /> The agency may then hold public hearings on the issue following the investigation.<ref name="Archives Inspection" /> Ultimately, it will publish a final report which may include safety recommendations based on its findings. The NTSB has no legal authority to implement or impose its recommendations. Its recommendations are often implemented by regulators at the federal or state level or by individual transportation companies.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/process/pages/default.aspx |title=The Investigative Process |publisher=National Transportation Safety Board |access-date=December 20, 2015 |archive-date=March 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220317045844/https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/process/Pages/default.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>

The NTSB played a critical role in the investigation of the Norfolk Southern Railway [[East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment|derailment in East Palestine, Ohio]], in February 2023. The NTSB's report, unanimously adopted by its board, highlighted significant failures by [[Norfolk Southern Railway|Norfolk Southern]], particularly in the decision to conduct a vent and burn of toxic chemicals, which was deemed unnecessary and based on misleading information provided by the railway. The report also criticized Norfolk Southern's obstruction during the investigation, noting delays in providing critical information and attempts to influence the investigation's outcome. The NTSB's findings have led to new safety recommendations aimed at preventing similar incidents in the future, including better communication protocols and more stringent oversight of emergency response procedures.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Riley |first=Kim |date=2024-06-26 |title=Norfolk Southern Blasted by Government: East Palestine Reeling from Crisis Management Failures |url=https://transportationtodaynews.com/featured/33261-norfolk-southern-blasted-by-government-east-palestine-reeling-from-crisis-management-failures/ |access-date=2024-08-13 |website=Transportation Today |language=en-US}}</ref>

The NTSB concluded that poor bridge resource management and a charting error led to the collision between the dry bulk carrier Ocean Princess and the SP-83A oil and gas production platform in the Gulf of Mexico on January 7, 2021. The incident occurred because the platform was not visible on the vessel's electronic chart display, although it was present on the paper chart used by the mate on watch. The NTSB highlighted the importance of effective bridge management and the dangers of over-reliance on electronic navigation tools.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Carey |first=Liz |date=2022-08-25 |title=NTSB determines 2021 carrier strike of oil production platform fault of poor bridge management, charting |url=https://transportationtodaynews.com/featured/27821-ntsb-reports-2021-carrier-strike-of-oil-production-platform-blamed-on-poor-bridge-management-charting/ |access-date=2024-08-13 |website=Transportation Today |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Jurisdiction over investigations===
;Aviation: The NTSB has primary authority to investigate every civil aviation accident in the United States; the agency is also authorized to conduct investigations involving both civilian and military aircraft "with the participation of appropriate military authorities".<ref>{{usc|49|1132}}</ref> Aviation includes certain commercial space accidents.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Office of Aviation Safety |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/about/organization/AS/Pages/office_as.aspx |access-date=2024-01-05 |website=www.ntsb.gov}}</ref> For certain accidents, due to resource limitations, the Board will ask the FAA to collect the factual information at the scene of the accident; the NTSB bases its report on that information.
;Surface Transportation: The NTSB has the authority to investigate all highway accidents and incidents, including incidents at railway grade crossings, "in cooperation with a State".<ref name="49 USC 1131" /> The NTSB has primary jurisdiction over railway accidents and incidents which result in death or significant property damage, or which involve a passenger train.<ref name="49 USC 1131" />
;Marine: For marine investigations, jurisdiction into investigations is divided between the NTSB and the [[U.S. Coast Guard]].<ref name="49 USC 1131" /> The division of investigative jurisdiction and responsibilities is prescribed in a detailed [[Memorandum of Understanding]] between the two agencies.
;Pipeline: The NTSB has primary jurisdiction over pipeline incidents (often the result of third-party excavation damage) which involve "a fatality, substantial property damage, or significant injury to the environment".<ref name="49 USC 1131" /> 
;Assistance to criminal investigations: The NTSB has primary jurisdiction over civil transportation investigations, not criminal ones. If the [[United States Attorney General|Attorney General]] declares the case to be linked to a criminal act, the NTSB must relinquish control of the investigation to the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]].<ref name="49 USC 1131" /> The NTSB may still provide technical support to the FBI in such investigations. In two high-profile examples, the NTSB sent aviation accident investigators with knowledge of aircraft structures and flight recorders to assist the FBI's criminal investigation into the murder-suicide of [[Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771]] in 1987, and the [[September 11 attacks|September 11, 2001, attacks]] fourteen years later.<ref>{{cite press release |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/NTSB_Providing_Technical_Assistance_to_FBI_Investigation.aspx |title=NTSB Providing Technical Assistance to FBI Investigation |publisher=National Transportation Safety Board |date=September 13, 2001 |access-date=December 19, 2015 |archive-date=December 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222154249/http://www.ntsb.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/NTSB_Providing_Technical_Assistance_to_FBI_Investigation.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>
;Assistance to other domestic agencies: In addition to assisting the Department of Justice in criminal investigations, the NTSB has also assisted the [[National Aeronautics and Space Administration]] (NASA) in its investigations of both the ''[[Challenger disaster|Challenger]]'' and the [[Space Shuttle Columbia disaster|''Columbia'' Space Shuttle disaster]]s. The NTSB can also assist the [[U.S. military]] in investigating military incidents within the realm of the NTSB's expertise, such as the [[1996 Croatia USAF CT-43 crash|crash of an Air Force transport plane]] in former [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]] that killed more than 30 Americans, including [[U.S. Secretary of Commerce|Commerce Secretary]] [[Ron Brown]].
;Assistance to foreign governments: The NTSB may assist in incident or accident investigations outside the United States under certain circumstances. These may include accidents or incidents involving American-registered or American-owned civil aircraft or aircraft with U.S.-manufactured components in foreign [[air space]]. Officially, NTSB employees are prohibited from releasing information about "another country's investigation", although this has happened in the past.<ref>Horikoshi, Toyohiro. [http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/08/11/national/history/u-s-leaked-crucial-boeing-repair-flaw-led-1985-jal-jet-crash-ex-officials/#.V-gczbWs7O0 "U.S. leaked crucial Boeing repair flaw] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202031857/http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/08/11/national/history/u-s-leaked-crucial-boeing-repair-flaw-led-1985-jal-jet-crash-ex-officials/#.V-gczbWs7O0 |date=February 2, 2017 }} that led to 1985 JAL jet crash: ex-officials." [[Japan Times]] – [[Kyodo]]. (August 11, 2015).</ref>

===Use of the "party system"===
To conduct its investigations, the NTSB operates under the "party system", which utilizes the support and participation of industry and labor representatives with expertise or technical knowledge specifically useful to its investigation. The NTSB may invite these individuals or organizations to become parties to the investigation and participate under the supervision of the NTSB.<ref name="What is the NTSB">{{cite web |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/about/Documents/SPC0502.pdf |title=What is the National Transportation Safety Board? |publisher=National Transportation Safety Board |access-date=May 11, 2016 |journal= |archive-date=May 13, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513054344/http://www.ntsb.gov/about/Documents/SPC0502.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Ferguson Aviation Safety">{{cite book |title=Aviation Safety: A Balanced Industry Approach |author1=Michael Ferguson |author2=Sean Nelson |publisher=Cengage Learning |year=2012 |page=37}}</ref><ref name="49 CFR 831.11">{{CodeFedReg|49|831|11}}</ref> The NTSB has discretion over which organizations it allows to participate.<ref name="Ferguson Aviation Safety" /> Only individuals with relevant technical expertise can represent an organization in an investigation, and attorneys and insurance investigators are prohibited by law from participating.<ref name="Ferguson Aviation Safety" /><ref name="49 CFR 831.11"/>

The NTSB considers the party system crucial to the investigative process, as it provides the NTSB with access to individuals with specialized expertise or knowledge relevant to a particular investigation.<ref name="What is the NTSB" /><ref name="Ferguson Aviation Safety" /> However, the use of the party system is not without controversy. The NTSB invited [[Boeing]] to participate as a party to the investigation of the crash of [[TWA Flight 800]], a [[Boeing 747]], in 1996. While the NTSB relied on Boeing's sharing of expertise, it was later determined that Boeing had withheld a study of military versions of the 747 that investigated flammable vapor combustion in the center fuel tank.<ref name="Salon 1996">{{cite news |url=http://www.salon.com/1999/12/06/ntsb_2/ |title=Crash course in ethics |last=Alvear |first=Michael |work=Salon |date=December 6, 1996 |access-date=May 11, 2016 |archive-date=June 2, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160602000433/http://www.salon.com/1999/12/06/ntsb_2/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Boeing had told the NTSB that it had no studies proving or disproving the vapor combustion theory.<ref name="Salon 1996"/> In response to political pressure after the Boeing incident, the NTSB commissioned the nonprofit [[Rand Corporation]] to conduct an independent study of the NTSB's aircraft investigation process.<ref name="Salon 1996" />

In 2000, Rand published its report, which concluded that the party system is "a key component of the NTSB investigative process" and that participant parties "are uniquely able to provide essential information about aircraft design and manufacture, airline operations, or functioning of [the National Airspace System] that simply cannot be obtained elsewhere".<ref name="RAND Report">{{cite web |url=http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/monograph_reports/2005/MR1122.pdf |title=Safety in the Skies: Personnel and Parties in NTSB Aviation Accident Investigations |publisher=[[RAND Corporation]] |date=January 1, 2000 |access-date=May 11, 2016 |archive-date=October 21, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021120159/http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/monograph_reports/2005/MR1122.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>{{rp|31}} However, Rand also found conflicts of interest inherent in the party system, "may, in some instances, threaten the integrity of the NTSB investigative process".<ref name="RAND Report" />{{rp|30}} The Rand study recommended that the NTSB reduce its reliance on party representatives and make greater use of independent investigators, including from [[NASA]], the [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]], government research laboratories, and universities.<ref name="RAND Report" />{{rp|31–32}} {{As of|2014|df=US}}, the NTSB has not adopted these recommendations and instead continues to rely on the party system.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/06/12/unfit-for-flight-part-2/10405451/ |title=Unchecked carnage: NTSB probes are skimpy for small-aircraft crashes |newspaper=[[USA Today]] |date=June 12, 2014 |access-date=May 11, 2016 |archive-date=May 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160505145819/http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/06/12/unfit-for-flight-part-2/10405451/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Safety recommendations==
[[File:Convening the second day of the Investigative Hearing (8678683620).jpg|thumb|NTSB hearing in 2013 on the [[Boeing 787 Dreamliner battery problems]]]]

{{As of|2014}}, the NTSB has issued about 14,000 safety recommendations in its history, 73 percent of which have been adopted in whole or in part by the entities to which they were directed.<ref name="NTSB 2014 Annual" /> Starting in 1990, the NTSB annually published a "Most Wanted List", which highlights safety recommendations that the NTSB believes would provide the most significant — and sometimes immediate — benefit to the traveling public.<ref name="NTSB Lessons Learned" /><ref name="NTSB 2014 Annual" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Most Wanted List Archive |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/Advocacy/mwl/Pages/mwl_archive.aspx |access-date=June 7, 2022 |website=www.ntsb.gov |archive-date=June 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220606151631/https://www.ntsb.gov/Advocacy/mwl/Pages/mwl_archive.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> The list was discontinued in 2023 such that "the NTSB can more nimbly advocate for [their] recommendations and emerging safety issues”.<ref>{{Cite web |title=NTSB Retires Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/NR20231214.aspx |access-date=2024-01-05 |website=www.ntsb.gov}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Phelps |first=Mark |date=2023-12-14 |title=NTSB's 'Most Wanted' List Of Safety Issues To Be Retired |url=https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/ntsbs-most-wanted-list-of-safety-issues-to-be-retired/ |access-date=2024-01-05 |website=AVweb |language=en-US}}</ref>

Among transportation safety improvements brought about or inspired by NTSB recommendations:

;Aviation: Mid-air collision avoidance technology, [[ground proximity warning system]]s, [[airborne wind shear detection and alert system]]s, smoke detectors in lavatories and [[Inerting system|fuel tank inerting]].

;Highway: [[Graduated driver licensing|Graduated drivers license]] laws for young drivers, [[National Minimum Drinking Age Act|age-21 drinking laws]], smart airbag technology, [[center high-mounted stop light]]s, [[Commercial driver's license|commercial drivers licenses]], and improved school bus construction standards.

;Rail: [[Positive train control]], improved emergency exits for passenger rail cars, and [[double-shelf coupler]]s for [[Tank car|hazardous material rail cars]].

;Marine: Recreational boating safety, improved fire safety on [[cruise ship]]s, and lifesaving devices on fishing vessels.

;Pipeline: Excavation damage prevention, pipe corrosion protection, and remote shutoff valves.

;Multi-Modal: Alcohol and drug testing in all modes of transportation.

==Other responsibilities==
[[File:TWA800reconstruction.jpg|thumb|[[TWA Flight 800]] wreckage, as reconstructed by the NTSB]]
A less well-known responsibility of the NTSB is that it serves as a court of appeals for airmen, [[aircraft mechanic]]s, certificated aviation-related companies, and mariners who have their licenses suspended or revoked by the FAA or the [[Coast Guard]]. The NTSB employs administrative law judges who initially hear all appeals, and the administrative law judge's ruling may be appealed to the five-member Board.<ref name="OALJ">{{cite web |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/about/organization/ALJ/Pages/office_alj.aspx |title=Office of Administrative Law Judges |publisher=National Transportation Safety Board |access-date=December 21, 2015 |archive-date=December 22, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222154206/http://www.ntsb.gov/about/organization/ALJ/Pages/office_alj.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> The Board's determinations may be appealed to the [[United States federal courts|federal court system]] by the losing party, whether it is the individual or company, on the one hand, or the FAA or the Coast Guard, on the other.<ref name="OALJ" /> However, from ''[[Ferguson v. NTSB]]'', the NTSB's determinations are not overturned by the federal courts unless the NTSB abused its discretion or its determination is wholly unsupported by the evidence.<ref name="Ferguson 9th Cir">{{cite court |litigants=Ferguson v. National Transportation Safety Board |vol=678 |reporter=F.2d |opinion=821 |court=9th Cir. |date=1982 |url=http://openjurist.org/678/f2d/821/ferguson-v-national-transportation-safety-board-m |access-date=December 21, 2015}}</ref>

The Safety Board maintains a training academy<ref name="NTSB Training Center" /> in [[Ashburn, Virginia|Ashburn]], [[Virginia]], where it conducts courses for its employees and professionals in other government agencies, foreign governments or private companies, in areas such as general accident investigation, specific elements of investigations like survival factors or human performance, or related matters like family affairs or [[media relations]]. The facility houses for training purposes the reconstruction of more than 90 feet of the [[TWA Flight 800|TWA Flight 800 Boeing 747]],<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/news/speeches/JimHall/Pages/Statement_at_the_Opening_of_the_NTSB_Investigative_Hearing_Into_the_Crash_of_TWA_Flight_800_Baltimore_Maryland.aspx |title=Statement at the Opening of the NTSB Investigative Hearing Into the Crash of TWA Flight 800 |work=[[NTSB]] |last=Hall |first=Jim |date=December 8, 1997 |access-date=July 5, 2017 |archive-date=June 28, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170628204245/https://www.ntsb.gov/news/speeches/JimHall/Pages/Statement_at_the_Opening_of_the_NTSB_Investigative_Hearing_Into_the_Crash_of_TWA_Flight_800_Baltimore_Maryland.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> which was recovered from the [[Atlantic Ocean]] after it crashed on July 17, 1996, following a [[fuel tank]] explosion.

On February 22, 2021, the NTSB announced that the TWA Flight 800 recreation would be decommissioned on July 7, 2021. This decision comes as the lease for the Ashburn training center expires shortly. The NTSB indicated it is moving away from large-scale reconstructions like with TWA Flight 800 and towards using 3D scans to reconstruct accidents. Under an agreement made with the victims' families, when the reconstruction was retained as a training tool, the reconstruction was not allowed to be used as a public exhibit or put on display. For this reason, the NTSB is planning to dismantle and destroy the reconstruction.<ref name="TWA 800 decom">{{cite web |last1=National Transportation Safety Board |title=NTSB's TWA Flight 800 Reconstruction to be Decommissioned |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/NR20210222.aspx |website=ntsb.gov |publisher=United States Department of Transportation |access-date=May 16, 2021 |location=Washington D.C. |language=English|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210222152922/https://www.ntsb.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/NR20210222.aspx |archive-date=February 22, 2021}}</ref>
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==See also==
{{Portal|United States|Transportation|Aviation}}
* [[Aviation safety]]
* [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]]
* [[List of pipeline accidents]]
* [[Operation Lifesaver]]
* [[School bus#United States safety issues|School bus safety]]
* [[U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board]]
* [[Vehicle inspection in the United States]]
* [[Work-related road safety in the United States]]
* [[Transportation safety in the United States]]

===Other countries===
* [[Directorate General of Civil Aviation (India)]] - India (DGCA)
* [[Australian Transport Safety Bureau]] – Australia (ATSB)
* [[Air Accidents Investigation Branch]] – United Kingdom (AAIB)
* [[Taiwan Transportation Safety Board]] – Taiwan (TTSB)
* [[German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation]] – Germany
* [[Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile]] – France
* [[Agenzia Nazionale per la Sicurezza del Volo]] – Italy (ANSV)
* [[Transport Accident Investigation Commission]] – New Zealand (TAIC)
* [[Transportation Safety Board of Canada]] – Canada (TSB)
* [[National Transportation Safety Committee]] – Indonesia (NTSC)
* [[Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau]] – Nigeria (NSIB)
* [[Swedish Accident Investigation Authority]] - Sweden (SHK)
* [[European Network of Civil Aviation Safety Investigation Authorities]] - European Union (ENCASIA)
* [[Accident Investigation Board Denmark]] - Denmark (HCLJ)
* [[Japan Transport Safety Board]] - Japan (JTSB)
* [[Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia]] - Malaysia (CAAM)

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
{{Wikisource|Portal:National Transportation Safety Board}}
*{{official website|https://www.ntsb.gov}}
*[https://www.ntsb.gov/advocacy/mwl/Pages/default.aspx NTSB Most Wanted List]
*[https://www.usaspending.gov/agency/national-transportation-safety-board National Transportation Safety Board] on [[USAspending.gov]]
*[https://www.federalregister.gov/agencies/national-transportation-safety-board National Transportation Safety Board] in the [[Federal Register]]
*[https://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/resources/ntsb-inspection.pdf Records Management Oversight Inspection Report 2014; National Transportation Safety Board Records Management Program; National Archives and Records Administration; Issued December 19, 2014]
* Rimson [[Regulation and licensure in engineering#United States|P.E.]], Ira J. [https://www.iprr.org/papers/98ijrcause.html Investigating "Causes"].  International Society of Air Safety Investigators, ISASI '98, Barcelona, Spain; October 20, 1998.

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{{Aviation accident orgs}}
{{Maritime accident orgs}}
{{Rail accident orgs}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:National Transportation Safety Board| ]]
[[Category:Rail accident investigators]]
[[Category:Organizations investigating aviation accidents and incidents|United States]]
[[Category:Aviation in the United States]]
[[Category:Government agencies established in 1967]]
[[Category:Independent agencies of the United States government]]
[[Category:Transport safety organizations]]
[[Category:Organizations based in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:1967 establishments in Washington, D.C.]]