Anxious to avoid upsetting air travelers, NASA is withholding results from an unprecedented national survey of pilots that found safety problems like near collisions and runway interference occur far more frequently than the government previously recognized.
After all what could be more upsetting than reading a report on safety problems? How upsetting is actually dying in an airplane collision?
The premise of Open Records is that information modifies behavior. People naturally avoid uncomfortable situations. Some FAA bureaucrats, airlines, or traffic controllers will probably be discomforted by disclosure of the safety deficiencies identified in the suppressed report.
Thanks to NASA, the bureaucrat’s comfort will be maintained, their behavior will likely remain unchanged, and the $8.5 million report paid for by citizens taxes will remain secret.
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