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Friday 4th July 2008
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Brainteasers Interactive Quiz #39:
Aviation Safety Reporting Program

Best known to pilots for its get-out-of-jail-free provisions, the FAA Aviation Safety Reporting Program (ASRP) is designed to encourage the free and unrestricted reporting of safety-related information by users of the National Airspace System (NAS). The ASRP utilizes the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as a third party to receive aviation safety reports from users and de-identify those reports to protect submitters from FAA prosecution. For pilots to use the ASRP effectively, it's necessary for them to understand exactly how the program works. This quiz will test your knowledge of the ASRP, and will enable you to fill in any gaps in your knowledge regarding the program.

by Irv Siegel

NOTE: This quiz is based on information contained in FAA Advisory Circular AC00-46D -- AVIATION SAFETY REPORTING PROGRAM.

1. Who is invited to report to NASA actual or potential discrepancies and
a. Pilots only
b. Pilots and controllers only
c. Pilots and flight attendants only
d. Pilots and maintenance personnel only
deficiencies involving the safety of aviation operations?


e. Any person
2. NASA designed and administers the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS).
NASA receives the ASRS reports, de-identifies them, and then


a. turns over the reports to the FAA for processing and analysis of the raw
b. processes the reports themselves, turning the processed reports over to
c. processes the reports and analyzes the raw data.
data.


the FAA for analysis of the raw data.

3. Under what circumstances will NASA NOT de-identify an ASRS report?
a. If the report contains information concerning a criminal offense
b. If the report contains information concerning an accident
c. If the report contains information about an intentional FAR violation
d. a and b only
e. a and b and c
4. What proof will a pilot have that s/he filed an ASRS on a specific
NASA.


a. ASRS reports must be sent by certified mail, return receipt requested.
b. Reporters must keep a photocopy of each ASRS report that they send to
c. Each ASRS has a tear-off portion which NASA will timestamp and return to
incident or occurrence?


the reporter as a receipt.

5. How is a reporter protected from information in an ASRS report that could
ASRS report that could lead to their identification.


a. All reporters must be careful not to include specific information in an
assist or establish the identification of the person filing the report?


b. All ASRS reports are destroyed no more than 72 hours after NASA receives
c. Information that might assist in or establish the identification of
offenses, accidents, or intentional FAR violations.


persons filing ASRS reports will be deleted by NASA, except for those reports
them, except for those reports that contain information relating to criminal
which NASA does not de-identify (see question #3).

6. Select the true statement concerning the ASRS reports:
Federal Aviation Regulation.


a. Filing an ASRS report about an incident (not an accident) that involved no
b. Filing an ASRS report about an incident (not an accident) that involved no
c. The FAA may find a pilot in violation of a Federal Aviation Regulation
criminal activity and no intentional violation of the regulations will prevent
regardless of whether the pilot filed an ASRS report about the incident.


the FAA from finding a pilot in violation of a Federal Aviation Regulation.

7. How often may a pilot file an ASRS report?
a. Once every six months
b. Once every year
c. Once every two years
d. Once every five years
e. As often as s/he wants.
8. Under what circumstances will the filing of an ASRS report NOT
a. If the violation was deliberate
b. If the violation involved a criminal offense or an accident
c. If the pilot has been found in a prior FAA enforcement action to have
d. b and c only
e. a and b and c
occurrence?


protect a pilot from a civil penalty or certificate action regarding a given
violated an FAR within five years prior to the date of the occurrence.

9. In order to qualify for immunity from a civil penalty or certificate
a. within 48 hours
action, how soon after an incident or occurrence must a pilot mail an ASRS
b. within 7 days
c. within 10 days
d. within 30 days
report to NASA?

10. Where may a pilot obtain the appropriate ASRS reporting form?
a. FAA Flight Standards District Office (FSDO)
b. FAA Flight Service Station (FSS)
c. NASA, ASRS, P.O. Box 189, Moffet Field, CA 94035-9800
d. download the form from http://asrs.arc.nasa.gov/forms_nf.htm
e. all of the above
11. Bonus question: What is a likely consequence of an intentional violation
a. NASA will not de-identify your ASRS report, and will send it on to the FAA
b. NASA will not de-identify your ASRS report, but will send it on to the FAA
c. NASA will de-identify your ASRS report (as long as there was no accident
certificate suspension if the FAA learns of the violation from another source.


for enforcement.


of the Federal Aviation Regulations, even if you file an ASRS report within the
only if the FAA makes a request for it.


or criminal activity), but you will not be immune from a civil penalty or
required time period?