New NTSB chief warns against false claims on automated driving

In her first address to the NTSB’s staff of almost 400 employees, Homendy said she will work with the agency’s Office of Aviation Safety to rename it within the next 100 days to reflect that it also has responsibility to investigate mishaps in commercial space travel. 

“We are doing a lot, but nobody knows it,” she said of NTSB’s role in space investigations. “We need to demonstrate to our partners, to our stakeholders, that we’re ready, because we are.”

She also told staff to finalize within 60 days a draft of regulations that would update requirements governing the growing commercial space industry during an NTSB investigation. 

The NTSB has investigated accidents involving commercial rockets and space vehicles for decades, including the 2014 fatal destruction of a prototype of Virgin Galactic’s space plane. But such investigations have been rare. 

“I don’t want to be in a situation, God forbid, that something does happen and we don’t have adequate resources,” she said. “So I do believe this is an area we do need to expand and include additional expertise.”

 Homendy said she plans to seek increases in NTSB’s budget so it can add staff and capacity. The safety board’s authorization by Congress, which typically sets an agency’s funding, is up for renewal next year. The amount of any requested increases hasn’t been determined yet, she said.

“The things that the public relies on -- timely reports, great recommendations, what’s happened on an investigation as early as possible -- that requires resources,” she said. 

In the meantime, she has also asked officials at the agency to fill existing vacancies. There are about 50 jobs unfilled, or more than 12 percent of the existing staff, she said. 

The NTSB needs a full staff to handle the growing challenges of evolving technology, Homendy said.

“We are in a time of transformational change,” she said. “But you know, I hear a lot about innovation and a lot about investment. I’m not hearing a lot about safety. That’s where we come in. Safety has to be the driver. That’s our role.”

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