In response to the “After the Dust Settles: Protecting Yourself” article (November 2021 Aviation Consumer) on dealing with a post-crash aftermath, including subsequent regulatory realities, we got a letter from (and had a subsequent meeting with) Tom Haueter, who offered a behind-the-scenes look at accident—and in particular, incident—investigations and what it means to general aviation aircraft owners. He would know.
Haueter, who is the retired NTSB Director of the Office of Aviation Safety, a 28-year NTSB investigator and an aircraft owner, restorer and pilot, said it’s just wrong to suggest that the NTSB doesn’t bother with aircraft incidents, and that there is no obligation to report an incident. We often express concern that the agency might not be doing enough to investigate a sizable number of engine stoppages for “undetermined reasons.” Turns out there’s more going on with the NTSB’s day-to-day tasks, including not only investigating accidents and incidents, but also looking at component-level failures before they even become an inflight event.