Definition
A former U.S. federal agency that regulated the economic side of commercial aviation — including airline routes, fares, and airmail rates — and investigated aircraft accidents. It was created in 1940 when the earlier Civil Aeronautics Authority was split into two parts, and it operated until it was dissolved in 1985 following airline deregulation. Its safety regulation duties moved to what eventually became the FAA, and its accident investigation role passed to the NTSB.
Plain English
An old government body that controlled where airlines could fly and what they could charge, and looked into the causes of crashes. It no longer exists — its jobs were taken over by other agencies.
Context Anchor
Seen in aviation history discussions, especially when reading about how U.S. federal aviation regulation developed after the Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938.
Derivation
Civil' here means non-military. 'Aeronautics' comes from the Greek roots for 'air' and 'sailing' — literally 'sailing through the air,' an early word for flying. 'Board' refers to a group of officials appointed to make decisions. So the name describes a panel that oversaw non-military flight.
Why Pilots Care
Pilots don't deal with the CAB today, but knowing it existed helps make sense of how today's aviation system was built. The FAA's safety role and the NTSB's accident-investigation role both trace back to functions the CAB once held.
Intuition Check
Don't confuse this with a current agency. The CAB is historical — it has not existed since 1985. If a modern reference mentions accident investigation, that's the NTSB; if it mentions airline route or fare regulation, that authority no longer exists in the same form.
Example Sentence 1
Before deregulation, an airline couldn't simply add a new route between two cities — it needed approval from the CAB.
Example Sentence 2
Deregulation eventually removed the CAB's authority over routes and fares.