F'in Great (NASA has plane data it won't release to public)

[Norelco]

"MOFFETT FIELD, California (AP) -- An unprecedented national survey of pilots by the U.S. government has found that safety problems like near collisions and runway interference occur far more frequently than previously recognized. But the government is withholding the information, fearful it would upset air travelers and hurt airline profits."

more:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TRAVEL/10/22/na ... index.html

[izembo]

they initially refused to release it, then they did.

[Norelco]

they initially refused to release it, then they did.

I didn't get that at all from reading the article. It sounds like they released some tidbits but not everything.

[izembo]

it was on the news this morning on the today show, they did.

[Norelco]

Yes, but originally they didn't want to with the reasoning that it would hurt the airline industry. Are we to believe that the government truly cares about business more than it does the well-being of its citizens?

[Tristam]

Yes, but originally they didn't want to with the reasoning that it would hurt the airline industry. Are we to believe that the government truly cares about business more than it does the well-being of its citizens?

I thought, but I may be wrong, that the gov't was trying to get NASA to release the info but NASA wouldn't? Also for whoever saw the released info, how bad is it?

[Venture]

Not that bad. Still have better chances of dying by being stung by a bee. Now let's all fly into a panic, ahhh!

[kuronosan]

With as many planes in the sky at one time as there are, is anyone really surprised that these incidents occur so frequently?

That's like saying "This just in. Car accidents happen more than previously thought, and the highway safety commission didn't want to release any info". Come on. Not only are planes statistically safer than auto-traffic, the odds of two planes colliding are about as good as an OJ Simpson comeback game.

When you have a large margin of comparison, there is going to be some sort of margin of error to correlate. That's just the way ratios work. Say there are 100,000 planes in the sky and a 0.02% chance of collision... that's pretty damn good considering even with 50 cars on the road your chances of an accident are significantly higher.

People need to quit thinking about death so much. It just creates an irrational fear with a need for survival and is just another reason people either kill or get killed.

[Norelco]

I don't care so much about the actual data than I do it being with-held from the public because they're afraid it will hurt the airline industry.

Why should the public trust air carriers if they are not trust worthy?

[riddaraan]

While I don't believe in withholding information from the public on anything, I do understand that people tend to panic when they hear anything in the news. Human beings overreact to nearly everything we witness, and if this report made it out in public, earlier, more than likely there'd be a huge chaos, which would cause stocks, which are already crappy, to fall, causing layoffs, causing unemployment, contributing to our growing domestic economic & social depression.

Sometimes, then right answer really is, "You don't wanna know."

Like I said earlier though, I'm all for the freedom of information. I think it should be out there, available for us to have. But perhaps just not openly advertised that it's out there.

Now that this information has been suppressed, the resulting panic will be double, simply because people will not only think, "OMG! Flying is dangerous!" Now they'll think, "OMG! Flying is so dangerous, they were trying to hide it from us!"

[Norelco]

While I don't believe in withholding information from the public on anything, I do understand that people tend to panic when they hear anything in the news. Human beings overreact to nearly everything we witness, and if this report made it out in public, earlier, more than likely there'd be a huge chaos, which would cause stocks, which are already crappy, to fall, causing layoffs, causing unemployment, contributing to our growing domestic economic & social depression.

Sometimes, then right answer really is, "You don't wanna know."

Like I said earlier though, I'm all for the freedom of information. I think it should be out there, available for us to have. But perhaps just not openly advertised that it's out there.

Now that this information has been suppressed, the resulting panic will be double, simply because people will not only think, "OMG! Flying is dangerous!" Now they'll think, "OMG! Flying is so dangerous, they were trying to hide it from us!"

Well, when people hear this type of information on the news and they panic, it's mostly because the media outlets like to paint it in the most negative fashion possible. Bad news sells. It gets better ratings, period.

[Zosi]

http://asrs.arc.nasa.gov/

That's a database maintained by NASA of all self-reported "safety issues" during flights. It's anonymous and very frequently used, and can provide just the same kind of statistical stuff as the survey in question. There's also similar databases provided by the NTSB and FAA. The article is just typical fear-mongering bullshit. Even with their numbers, it's still safer to fly a plane than walk across a busy street, but that doesn't stop them from talking about how disturbing it is that accidents happen when you have a metal tube full of humans flying at 35k feet.

[Kaelan]

While I don't believe in withholding information from the public on anything, I do understand that people tend to panic when they hear anything in the news. Human beings overreact to nearly everything we witness, and if this report made it out in public, earlier, more than likely there'd be a huge chaos, which would cause stocks, which are already crappy, to fall, causing layoffs, causing unemployment, contributing to our growing domestic economic & social depression.

Sometimes, then right answer really is, "You don't wanna know."

Like I said earlier though, I'm all for the freedom of information. I think it should be out there, available for us to have. But perhaps just not openly advertised that it's out there.

Now that this information has been suppressed, the resulting panic will be double, simply because people will not only think, "OMG! Flying is dangerous!" Now they'll think, "OMG! Flying is so dangerous, they were trying to hide it from us!"

Well, when people hear this type of information on the news and they panic, it's mostly because the media outlets like to paint it in the most negative fashion possible. Bad news sells. It gets better ratings, period.

If you'll read the article, the first thing you notice is how dramatic the headline sounds compared to what's actually being reported :x (I love how they basically say to your face, OMG YOU SHUD BE SCARED!!)

[thestalkmore]

I approve the witholding of said information. People are stupid and irrational.

[Exoduso]

There's still a way higher chance for you to die on the road driving a car than on an airplane.. i'd rather take my chances.

[Olo401]

Yes, but originally they didn't want to with the reasoning that it would hurt the airline industry. Are we to believe that the government truly cares about business more than it does the well-being of its citizens?

Cmon now.. This is the United States Government we're talking about here. These are the people who brought you the Food and Drug Act at the will of HJ Heinz, legal tort reform for political gain, and the Iraq War for giant oil, energy, security, and construction companies.

[Plow]

"Those were good times... as far as we knew."

[Septimus]

People are so dense. As the old saying goes, "it's not the crime, it's the cover up." Yeah, had that report been released the news would have covered it in the worst light possible, but two days later they would have moved on to the next missing white chick or (oh joy) celebrity overdose. By covering up a report that doesn't say anything, it just gives the conspiracy whack-a-doodles something to be upset about.

But really, it should make everyone a little uneasy. They covered up a report that said next to nothing because it may hurt private businesses. Oh yeah, UAL, the parent company of United Airlines and Jet Blue, reported today that it made a profit of $334 million in the third-quarter.