NASA Says ASRS Record Numbers Reflect ‘Healthy Safety Culture’

NASA says a significant surge in anonymous safety reports for 2023 is actually “positive indication of a healthy safety culture” and marks a "banner year" for its Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) program. 

In its year-end roundup featured in its CALLBACK newsletter, NASA highlighted the program’s success. “ASRS’s business of collecting, analyzing, and disseminating all kinds of aviation safety data has approached pre-pandemic levels and continues to grow. Our intake this year will exceed 100,000 reports, a 52 percent increase over 2020 levels.”

The annual summary also underscored the number of alert notices ASRS generates—providing critical safety information to relevant parties. At the current rate, NASA says this figure is projected to reach 243 in 2023, surpassing the 2020 output by 52 percent.

NASA ASRS Director Becky Hooey told AVweb the uptick in reports means those in aviation are actively engaged in improving aviation safety. “Tens of thousands of these reports contain proactive callouts and lessons-learned shared by aviation professionals committed to ensuring the safety of aviation,” Hooey said.

The confidential ASRS program has been in operation since 1976. NASA says it has been an important tool for pilots and airline professionals in identifying potential hazards. In October more than 10,000 reports were submitted, including 5,825 from air carrier/air taxi pilots and 1,605 from general aviation pilots.