Definition
A United States federal law that gives the public the right to request access to records held by federal government agencies, including the FAA. Agencies must release the requested records unless they fall under specific exemptions such as national security, personal privacy, or law enforcement.
Plain English
A law that lets members of the public ask for copies of government documents, and requires the government to hand them over unless there is a clear reason to keep them private.
Context Anchor
Seen in FAA acronym lists, government records discussions, and requests for FAA-held information.
Derivation
The name describes the law directly: 'freedom of information' meaning open public access to government-held information. Enacted in 1966.
Why Pilots Care
Pilots, journalists, and researchers use FOIA requests to obtain FAA records such as accident investigation files, enforcement actions, inspector notes, and policy documents. It is the standard route for getting non-public aviation information from the government.
Intuition Check
FOIA does not mean all FAA information is automatically available. It means there is a legal process for requesting records, and some records may still be withheld.
Example Sentence 1
The researcher filed a FOIA request to obtain the FAA's correspondence regarding the new airspace proposal.
Example Sentence 2
Reviewing public documents obtained through FOIA helped the pilot prepare for a safety meeting.