FAA may keep bird strike records confidential

[bananas]

Someone posted this in LBN yesterday:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3804117

FAA may keep bird strike records confidential

Source: MSNBC/AP

WASHINGTON - The Federal Aviation Administration is proposing to keep secret from travelers and the public its vast records on how frequently and where commercial planes are damaged by hitting flying birds.

The agency's formal secrecy proposal came just after FAA officials had said they were going to release the huge database to The Associated Press in response to a Freedom of Information Act request.

As President Barack Obama promises a more open government, the FAA says it needs to expand secrecy to cover this safety data because if the public learned the information then airports and air carriers wouldn't report damage from birds.

"To have the government actually chill public access to safety information is a step backward," said James Hall, former chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board. "Public awareness is an essential part of any strong safety program."

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29916584 /

[XemaSab]

1. Best acronym ever:

BASH.

Bird-Air Safety Hazard.