Which agency must be notified immediately in the event of an in-flight emergency such as an in-flight fire?

• A. National Transportation Safety Board
• B. Federal Aviation Administration
• C. Environmental Protection Agency
• D. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is that serious in-flight emergencies are handled as safety investigations, and the agency responsible for investigating civil aviation accidents and incidents is the National Transportation Safety Board. When an in-flight fire occurs, crews must declare an emergency and promptly report it so the NTSB can begin an investigation and issue safety recommendations to prevent recurrence. The Federal Aviation Administration regulates and oversees safety, but immediate notification for such events goes to the NTSB. The Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration aren’t involved in aviation accident investigations, so they aren’t the agencies to notify in this situation.