Crash course on plane crashes

Journalists covering the ValuJet plane crash used FAA databases and aviation records to investigate the accident, but encountered challenges including data quality issues, inconsistent reporting practices by airlines, and the need to cross-reference multiple sources for accurate information.

By Andy Lehren NICAR staff

When the ValuJet DC-9 crashed near Miami, many reporters poured through airline data to find out what went wrong.

A common step was taking the airplane's tail number and running it through key Federal Aviation Administration databases, such as Service Difficulty Reports and Accidents and Incidents. Some went further, using the airplane's serial number and studying its history before ValuJet began using the jet.

Here are some lessons from reporters who mined data for covering the crash:

prepared. The Cleveland Plain Dealer's Beth Marchak had been reporting about ValuJet's problems before the crash. She began by sorting SDR data by date, by tail number, by serial number and by the troubled part of the plane. She checked for structural work. And she used her search results as a springboard for additional reporting. SDRs helped prepare her for interviewing passengers and airline workers. They also helped her craft Freedom of Information requests for FAA documents. She said paper records were vital for showing the depth of ValuJet's problems.

Watch out for dirty data. For instance, in the FAA Accidents and Incidents database, Delta had mistakenly reported the fatal DC-9's serial number as its tail number. Severity codes in the SDR database are inconsistent. The FAA violates its own rules for the key fields in the SDR table. Operator codes in the Accidents database are often missing.

Beware of how information is entered into the database. The SDR database allows the airline to report one character for the precautionary procedure taken if the plane was in the air. The St. Paul Pioneer Press' Dan Browning found Northwest often did not use the code for dumping fuel. But the airline routinely dumped fuel when facing a problem in the air. The Seattle Times's Bryan Acohido reported about rudder problems in Boeing 737s and found those difficulties were not always coded the same way (see Uplink, February 1995).

Look how often an airline submits reports. They are supposed to report any mechanical difficulty. They often don't. Airlines report at different rates. Browning said he tries to adjust for reporting rates. He also looks at what the airline owns by using the FAA's Annual Inventory of Airframes and Aircraft Engines by Carrier.

But the problem raises questions about how the agency works. "Why does the FAA tolerate the disparity?" Browning asked. The University of North Carolina's Phil Meyer said that, with this problem, a lack of reports may well tip off a reporter to probe into an airline.

Look at other databases. The ValuJet crash was linked with a hazardous chemical. The U.S. Department of Transportation's Hazardous Materials database includes airline accidents that involve hazardous chemicals. The Miami Herald used this information to put the crash into context, and show how rarely such accidents happen. It also gave readers a chronology of earlier accidents involving such substances.

Dateline NBC's David Hinchman used the FAA's Enforcement Information System to examine lax enforcement in commuter airline safety (see Uplink, April 1996).

CBS's Roberta Baskin recommended using NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System, where pilots make anonymous reports on problems. By using dates, she has been able in other cases to strip away that anonymity and learn more about an incident.

The FAA's collection of advisories showed the agency was already concerned about bad wiring in the cockpits of DC-9s. National Transportation Safety Board records are often valuable for understanding airline safety, said the New York Times' Steve Engleberg.

Keep in mind that human errors play a big role in crashes. The Minneapolis Star Tribune's Greg Gordon recommended that, along with other databases, include a look at FAA records for runway incursions (when mistakes happen on landings and takeoffs), pilot diversions (when pilots make mistakes), and near mid-air collisions. These can provide great anecdotal information.

Look overseas. Newsday's Ford Fessenden used Aviation Information Services Ltd. and Flight International, both in the United Kingdom, to probe airline accidents worldwide. For tracking who owns planes outside the United States, he uses a book called the Jet Airliner Production List, published in Great Britain, and confirms information with the airplane's makers. Track ownership and major changes to an aircraft. The AP's Drew Sullivan checked FAA ownership and airworthiness certification records in Oklahoma City. Major repair records also include information for developing sources, including the name of the engineer who signed off on the work.

Andy Lehren can be reached at (573) 882-0684, or send e-mail to andy@nicar.org