NASA Security Incident Reporting System (SIRS) Meeting
Santa Clara California, September 30th - October 1, 2003
By Frank Boksanske AMFA National Safety and Standards Director

A meeting was sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in Santa Clara California on September 30th and October 1, 2003. The purpose of the meeting was to have various organizations participate on the committee level providing input into NASA’s goal to explore the feasibility of setting up a security incident reporting program (SIRS) modeled after the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS). AMFA National Safety and Standards was invited to participate in this most important meeting. The SIRS program would be voluntary and confidential, like ASRS, and would seek to identify real-word security concerns, potential security risks, and system vulnerabilities. It would encourage voluntary reporting from a wide range of aviation airport and aviation personnel, such as airport screeners, ground personnel, flight crew, mechanics, airport law enforcement personnel, and other “front line” airport employees. The SIRS reporting system will continue to be evaluated in committee for implementation in the coming months.

As a point of reference, the NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) was founded in 1976 through a Memorandum of Agreement between the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The program was designed primarily to support the FAA in its mission to eliminate unsafe conditions in the national aviation system, and prevent avoidable accidents.

The FAA quickly recognized that it’s regulatory and enforcement roles would discourage the aviation community from trusting and using the new program. It therefore asked NASA to act as the highly respected, independent third party that would administer the program and fulfill the role of an honest broker attending to the interests of both sides. NASA, a research organization with no regulatory or enforcement role, saw a unique opportunity to enhance its research capability through access to the human factors data generated by the new system.

The data collection and analysis operations of the ASRS are funded by the FAA, while NASA administers the program’s details, oversees its products and services, and ensures that de-identified incident data and the results of special studies are communicated to those responsible for aviation safety, and other interested parties.

The confidential reporting of a safety incident by the submission of an ASRS report by an aircraft technician will not only provide for feedback to the aviation community but will aid in research to enhance safety within the aviation community.

The filing of a report with NASA concerning an incident or occurrence involving a violation of the Federal Air Regulations is considered by the FAA to be indicative of a constructive attitude.

Such an attitude will prevent future violations. Accordingly, although a finding of violation may be made; neither a civil penalty nor certificate suspension will be imposed if:

- The violation was inadvertent and not deliberate.

- The violation did not involve a criminal offense or accident.

- The person has not been found in any prior FAA enforcement action for a period of five years prior to the date of occurrence.

- The person proves that within 10 days after the violation, he or she completed and delivered a written report of the incident or occurrence to NASA under ASRS.

In conclusion, the ASRS report may be filed and is encouraged to be filed as often as desired to report safety issues but may be filed only once every five years if used as protection under the limited immunity provision in the case of a civil or certificate action.

Contact your AMFA Local Safety and Standards Chairman or safety representative for more information on NASA ASRA reporting or access AMFA national’s website at www.amfanatl.org , link to Safety and Standards, then link to FAA publications to download the NASA form.

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