NTSB Aircraft Incidents and Accidents in Google Earth

Unlike the FAA, the NTSB permits anyone on the Internet to download their entire database of aircraft incidents and accidents. The NTSB's file is simple: one table contains all fields, and their data dictionary explains the fields. The URL to the narrative at the NTSB's site is included for quick report access. I downloaded that file and converted it into a KML file for Google Earth. The event icons are color-coded: blue for incidents, orange for non-fatal accidents, and red for fatal accidents. Unknown events get the default GE pushpin.


CLICK ON THE ICONS IN GOOGLE EARTH FOR MORE INFORMATION. (Seriously, a lot of people miss this and don't get most of the information.)

I did not have to do any geographic math on latitude and longitude. It's in decimal format in the NTSB downloadable, unlike the FAA which has at least two different lat/lon formats in every file. Not all location information is correct, but most of it is. (An example is N6ZV.)

Unfortunately, not all events have been geocoded. Twenty-seven percent, or 19,706 of the total 72,571 events in the NTSB database do have latitude and longitude, and those are contained in the KML file along with other details of the event. Please note that in Google Earth, you need to click on the icon to get the details. (Some people just look at all the items but do not click and miss most of the useful information.)

Looking at the file in Google Earth, the obvious becomes apparent: Most incidents and accidents take place at airports. Out west, a planes don't always make it over mountains. Looking at red sites is also a little creepy.

The idea to map aircraft accidents into a KML file grew out of my imperfect recollection of accidents at nearby airports. I remembered one accident at a nearby airport (ANP), but not the details. If you're going to use all available information to brief yourself, then NTSB accident information for an unfamiliar destination airport might prove useful. You don't need this file and Google Earth to do it -- you can use the NTSB's site. Using the GE, however, might help you identify problem areas.

If I update the KML file (NTSB data is updated monthly), it will go into the KML archive.