The National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday it has temporarily taken its public docket system offline after learning that image recognition and computational methods may allow individuals to reconstruct approximations of cockpit voice recorder audio from sound spectrum imagery released in accident investigations. The agency said the issue includes material released as part of its ongoing investigation into last year’s crash of UPS Flight 2976 in Louisville, Kentucky.
“The NTSB does not release cockpit audio recordings,” the agency said on X. “Federal law prohibits such public release due to the highly sensitive nature of verbal communications inside the cockpit. The NTSB takes these privacy restrictions seriously. The NTSB docket system is temporarily unavailable as we examine the scope of the issue and evaluate solutions. We hope to restore access to the docket system as soon as possible.”
The statement followed a two-day NTSB investigative hearing held May 19-20 on the Nov. 4, 2025, crash of the UPS MD-11F shortly after takeoff from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport. The three crewmembers aboard were killed, along with people on the ground. During the hearing, investigators said surveillance video showed the left engine and pylon separated after takeoff rotation, and testimony focused on maintenance reporting, continued operational safety processes, prior bearing findings and pylon design requirements. The NTSB has not issued a final report or probable cause.
If this is about individuals attempting and successfully using AI to create new misinformation videos to garner followings to subscription services on youtube, tik tok and others, I applaud the NTSB in stopping copycat non professional ‘investigators’ adding more misinformation to the internet.