FAA Issues Rule on Data-Sharing Programs

WASHINGTON - As part of its ongoing efforts to encourage the
flow of more safety and security data, the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) has issued a final rule to protect voluntarily
provided information from disclosure. Congress directed the FAA
to protect from disclosure information that aids in improving
safety and security.

"This rule will allow the FAA to collect the hard data we need to
develop a much broader view of airline safety," said FAA
Administrator Jane F. Garvey. "The information that will be
shared
with the FAA potentially could prevent incidents and accidents."

Information now available to the public under the Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA), such as accident and incident reports,
and
inspection and enforcement records, will continue to be released
to
the public. The rule aims to encourage data sharing programs
such
as Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA), which use
state-of-the-art flight data recorder technology to collect and
analyze data on routine flights. Airlines can collect data about
everyday safety trends in their operations and share it with FAA.

The agency would then use the data to identify industry-wide
safety trends, allowing the FAA to more effectively target
resources and correct potential safety problems.

The rule was published in the Federal Register on June 25 and
takes effect on July 25.