Definition
A voluntary, confidential incident-reporting program administered by NASA on behalf of the FAA, in which pilots, controllers, flight attendants, mechanics, and other aviation personnel submit reports describing safety-related events, hazards, or unintentional violations of the Federal Aviation Regulations. Information from these reports is de-identified and used to identify systemic safety problems. In exchange for filing a timely report, the reporter is generally granted limited immunity from FAA enforcement action for inadvertent, non-deliberate violations.
Plain English
A program that lets pilots and other aviation workers report safety problems or honest mistakes without fear of getting in trouble, so the industry can learn from them and fix dangerous patterns before they cause an accident.
Context Anchor
You may encounter this term after a runway mistake, airspace mistake, communication problem, near miss, maintenance concern, or other safety event that should be reported and learned from.
Why Pilots Care
Allows pilots to report incidents or hazards without fear of enforcement action, helping prevent future accidents through shared lessons.
Intuition Check
Do not assume this is just a complaint form or a way to avoid all consequences. It is a confidential safety-reporting program with specific rules and limits.
Example Sentence 1
After realizing she had briefly entered a restricted area, the pilot filed a report through the Aviation Safety Reporting Program within the 10-day window.
Example Sentence 2
Data from the Aviation Safety Reporting Program has led to changes in approach procedures at busy airports.