Publish the Data

Science depends on planned data collection and its publication. Without publication many of the advantages of science disappear. So, it is shocking that NASA is refusing to publish the results of a major and expensive ($8.5M) telephone survey on airline safety.

The details of this story can be seen in this New York Times piece.

Over 8,000 pilots completed the survey which asked questions about safety issues during flights. Topics included the number of times birds struck airplanes and near-miss collisions (both on the ground and in the air). The survey was ordered in 1997 by a White House panel and was completed in 2005. Fearing that the data might be purged intentionally, Congress ordered that digital copies of the data be preserved.

NASA recently refused a Freedom of Information Act request to release the data from the Associated Press. The Associated Press responded, “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 more frequently than the government previously recognized.”

NASA maintained that release of the information would be detrimental to the public, the airlines, and to general aviation. They also said that the study was designed to investigate methods of collecting such data (i.e., a pilot study) not to collect data about safety.

As we point out in chapter 1, science depends on the honest publication of results. Researchers should not refuse to publish data. Many editorial columns are making the same argument. See Kansas City Star and The Boston Herald.