FAA Expands Scenarios Covered by NASA ASRS Reports

April 1, 2021 -- Since its introduction in 1976, NASA’s Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) has been the backbone of safety reporting in the industry. The confidential nature of the reports, and the potential of gaining immunity from certain enforcement, has led to the program’s success.

Building off these strengths, the FAA has expanding incidents covered by the ASRS program beyond just regulation and safety related violations. Participation in the ASRS program now offers pilots immunity for a wide range of aviation incidents. Here are some quotations from participant reports in the FAA’s pilot program conducted last year:

“While conducting preflight planning at my operator’s home FBO, I replenished my travel mug with coffee from the pilot lounge and inadvertently failed to start a new pot. This led to an inability by my FO to properly caffeinate prior to pushback. I believe this safety issue was mitigated by the fact that my FO also packs a can of Monster Energy in his flight bag.”

“Going for hundred-dollar hamburgers at ZZZ airport, my safety pilot challenged me to eat an entire plate of “Tio Mario’s Mount Nacheesmo” nachos. I believe that this activity set off a gastrointestinal irregularity while at cruise altitude on our return flight, prompting me to make repeated ATC requests for “direct destination.”

“Hey NASA…me again. Once again, I failed my operational goal of acting as PIC in a sleek, factory new TBM 940. By continuing to operate my 70s era Cessna 152, I was unable to meet target cruise speed, climb rate, or range performance per Socata’s specifications for the 940. I’ll continue to file a report each time I fly, until I upgrade my aircraft.

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