Definition
An independent U.S. federal agency responsible for investigating civil aviation accidents and significant incidents, as well as accidents in other modes of transportation. The NTSB determines probable cause, issues safety recommendations, and maintains accident records. It does not regulate aviation; that is the FAA's role.
Plain English
The U.S. government body that investigates aircraft accidents to find out what happened, why it happened, and how to prevent it from happening again. They write the report on the crash; they don't make the rules pilots fly under.
Context Anchor
Pilots encounter the NTSB in accident and incident reporting rules, accident reports, safety recommendations, and discussions of aircraft mishap investigations.
Why Pilots Care
Pilots review NTSB reports to understand accident causes and apply safety improvements to their own flying.
Intuition Check
Do not confuse the NTSB with the FAA. The FAA regulates aviation and issues certificates; the NTSB investigates accidents and recommends safety improvements.
Example Sentence 1
After the off-airport landing, the pilot contacted the NTSB to report the accident as required by Part 830.
Example Sentence 2
Pilots often study NTSB safety recommendations to avoid repeating past mistakes.