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 titled "Is Air Travel Getting Less Safe?", accusing it of sensationalizing tragedies, politicizing safety, and distorting NTSB remarks.
Author James Fallows' article suggests that despite current statistical safety, the foundations of U.S. air travel safety may be cracking, attributing issues to the Trump administration.
The NTSB, however, presented data showing stable or improving trends in civil aviation accidents, fatalities, and runway incursions, countering the article's premise of declining safety.
The NTSB further pointed out specific inaccuracies, including misrepresenting its role in the 1,500-hour pilot rule, implying Black Hawk pilot negligence, and negatively characterizing administration support for the agency.

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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.”