Definition
An independent U.S. federal agency responsible for investigating civil aviation accidents and significant incidents, determining their probable cause, and issuing safety recommendations to prevent recurrence. The NTSB also investigates accidents in other transportation modes (rail, highway, marine, pipeline) but is best known to pilots for its role in aviation accident investigation. It has no regulatory or enforcement authority -- it investigates and recommends; the FAA and other agencies decide whether to act on those recommendations.
Plain English
The NTSB is the government body that investigates aircraft accidents to figure out what went wrong and how to stop it from happening again. It does not make rules or punish anyone -- it studies what happened and recommends changes.
Context Anchor
Pilots encounter this term in accident reporting rules, accident reports, safety recommendations, and discussions of aviation safety lessons.
Why Pilots Care
NTSB findings frequently lead to changes in training requirements, operating procedures, and regulations that affect pilots directly.
Intuition Check
Do not confuse the National Transportation Safety Board with the FAA. The FAA regulates aviation; the National Transportation Safety Board investigates accidents and recommends safety improvements.
Example Sentence 1
Following the off-airport landing, the pilot contacted the NTSB to file the required report.
Example Sentence 2
Pilots review National Transportation Safety Board reports to understand common causes of loss-of-control accidents.