NASA’s ARC form 277B has been described as a “Get Out of Jail Free Card.” Pilots and others have been encouraged to use 227B to report events they are involved in or if they observe an incident or situation in which aviation safety may have been compromised. NASA’s Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) captures confidential reports, analyzes the resulting aviation safety data and disseminates vital information to the aviation community. Reporting an event is confidential, voluntary and nonpunitive. This reporting process is available at asrs.arc.nasa.gov.
ASRS is a cooperative program between the FAA, NASA and the aviation industry to maintain and improve aviation safety. The information gathered is used to:
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Identify deficiencies and discrepancies in the National Aviation System (NAS) so that these can be remedied by appropriate authorities.
- Support policy formulation and planning for, and improvements to, the NAS.
- Strengthen the foundation of aviation human factors safety research.
The database is housed at NASA to lessen potential reporters’ fears of enforcement action by the FAA. The information is stripped of all information that identifies or infers the identification of the reporting person. The FAA offers ASRS reporters further guarantees and incentives to report. It has committed itself not to use ASRS information against reporters in enforcement actions. It has also chosen to waive fines and penalties, subject to certain limitations, for unintentional violations of federal aviation statutes and regulations reported to ASRS.
The moniker of ASRS being “a Get Out of Jail Free Card” is a bit misleading, as it will not be helpful for intentional Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) violations. It also should not be used to report accidents or incidents as defined by the FARs. Accidents should be reported to the NTSB.
Some of the events ag pilots have reported include runway excursions, near midair collisions, communication breakdowns, operating out of currency, powerline strikes without aircraft damage, ground conflicts with other aircraft, breaking FAR minimums due to unexpected IMC conditions, airborne traffic conflicts, equipment problems causing either precautionary or forced emergency landings, and restricted airspace entry due to navigation equipment failures.
A hard copy of form 227B is still available if you do not prefer to submit one online. An online submission has the advantage of immediately knowing your report has been submitted. In either case, make sure you save a copy for your records and copy down the verification code so you can prove you submitted a report. When using the online reporting, you will be prompted to print the report before submission. A link to ASRS is available on the NAAA website.
 captures confidential reports, analyzes
the resulting aviation safety data and disseminates vital information to
the aviation community. Reporting an event is confidential, voluntary
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