Editors' Note: This release updates to 97, the total number of investigations the NTSB was unable to initiate due to the partial government shutdown.
WASHINGTON (Jan. 29, 2019) — Employees of the National Transportation Safety Board returned to work Monday, resuming normal operations and developing plans to address the work that could not be accomplished during the partial shutdown of government.
Of the 397 agency staff, 367 employees were furloughed, 26 employees were excepted, and six investigators were recalled and worked without pay to support investigations of three international aviation accidents.
As of Jan. 25, 2019, impacts of the partial shutdown for the NTSB include:
Ninety-seven accidents that the NTSB was unable to investigate due to employees being furloughed to include the following that now require investigative action:
15 aviation accidents resulting in 21 fatalities
Two marine accidents
Two railroad accidents resulting in two fatalities
Two highway accidents resulting in 7 fatalities, 15 injuries
Six accidents in which the NTSB did not gather evidence to determine if an investigation was warranted, including
Two pipeline accidents (one diesel fuel, one natural gas)
Three highway accidents resulting in eight fatalities
One railroad accident resulting in one fatality
During the partial shutdown work stopped on:
1,815 ongoing general aviation and limited aviation safety investigations
33 ongoing rail, pipeline, and hazardous materials investigations
44 ongoing marine investigations
21 ongoing highway investigations
Within the Office of Research and Engineering, work stopped on:
63 medical cases
63 cases in the Materials Laboratory Division
451 cases in the Vehicle Recorders Division
54 cases in the Vehicle Performance Division
Postponement of the launch of the NTSB’s 2019 – 2020 Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Improvements, which has been rescheduled to Feb. 4.
Postponement of a board meeting to determine the probable cause of the March 2017 runway excursion in Ypsilanti, Michigan
Cancellation of 22 external meetings or presentations
More than 180 media inquiries went unanswered
The accidents in which the NTSB did not launch investigators, but would have if not for the partial shutdown, may not result in investigators physically visiting the accident sites, and, it is possible that perishable evidence may have been lost, which potentially could prevent determination of probable cause.
To report an incident/accident or if you are a public safety agency, please call 1-844-373-9922 or 202-314-6290 to speak to a Watch Officer at the NTSB Response Operations Center (ROC) in Washington, DC (24/7).