| |
| author |
Eva Woolard
| | title |
Divided by Design: How the Separation of Regulation and Investigation Increases U.S. Commercial Flight Safety
| | abstract |
While commercial aviation's safety record is often attributed to technological
innovations, economic investments, and improvements in operational practices, this thesis
contends that institutional restructuring stood as the necessary precondition for sustained and
measurable safety improvements. Specifically, the establishment of the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) in 1958 and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in 1967
created a self-correcting feedback loop through structural separation of their regulatory and
investigative functions. Drawing on accident reports, statistical databases, and institutional
records from the FAA and NTSB, this thesis traces the evolution of the commercial aviation
safety system in the United States throughout the 20th and 21st centuries across six chapters and
situates its findings within the broader field of commercial aviation history. In all, this thesis
demonstrates that institutional design is the foundation of increased commercial aviation safety.
| | school |
The College of Liberal Arts, Drew University
| | degree |
B.A. (2026)
|
| advisor |
Karen Pechilis
|
| full text | EWoolard.pdf |
| |
