NTSB Slams NYT Magazine Article On Aviation Safety

Agency has gripes with conclusion that foundation of the nation’s air safety record ‘may be cracking.’

Jack Daleo

Friday, November 13, 2026 at 01:30 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Zach Vasile

NTSB pushed back on what it described as “inaccuracies” in a recent article. [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) publicly criticized *The New York Times Magazine* for an article it deemed "sensationalizes and politicizes tragedies," specifically concerning air travel safety.
The NTSB stated that "aviation remains incredibly safe" and refuted several inaccuracies in the article, including distorted remarks, mischaracterizations of the agency's role in regulations, and incorrect implications about pilot negligence.
Despite the article's alarmist tone about cracking safety foundations, the NTSB and FAA data presented within the article indicate that civil aviation accident rates, fatalities, and runway incursions have largely remained stable or declined in recent years.

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In an atypical move, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Thursday publicly criticized The New York Times Magazine for an article that it said “sensationalizes and politicizes tragedies.”

In the article, entitled “Is Air Travel Getting Less Safe?” author James Fallows wrote that Americans should be alarmed enough about aviation safety to “insist that today’s leaders recognize the miracle of air safety in all its robustness and all its fragility.”