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World desk4 min

How to Report a Safety Concern About an Airline or Flight Crew

For a non-accident U.S. aviation-safety concern, report the observed facts to the FAA Hotline. Security issues, service complaints, accidents, and worker-retaliation cases have different routes.
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For a non-accident concern about unsafe airline operations, an aircraft, or flight-crew conduct in the United States, report it to the FAA through its FAA Hotline. You can submit a web report, write to the FAA, or call 866-TELL-FAA (866-835-5322). If there is immediate danger, call 911; for an aircraft accident, call 911 first and then contact the NTSB Response Operations Center at 844-373-9922.

Should you contact the FAA, TSA, DOT, or emergency services?

Start with the agency that handles the subject of your concern. A safety issue is different from a security-screening problem or an airline service dispute.

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Issue Where to start Examples
Non-accident aviation safety FAA Hotline Unsafe operation or conduct, aircraft safety, emergency-exit seating, low-flying aircraft, pilot licensing, or a suspected aviation-safety violation.
Aviation security TSA Passenger screening, baggage screening, no-fly-list matters, and related security concerns.
Airline service or consumer issue Airline customer service, then the DOT Office of Aviation Consumer Protection when appropriate Delays, cancellations, baggage, ticketing, refunds, and similar service problems. DOT’s consumer-protection office does not handle safety or security complaints.
Immediate danger or aircraft accident Call 911; for an accident, then contact the NTSB Emergency response takes priority. The NTSB Response Operations Center number for accident contact is 844-373-9922.

The FAA’s travel-problem guidance distinguishes safety reports from TSA security issues and DOT consumer complaints. A poor customer-service interaction, by itself, is not an aviation-safety report.

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How do you make a useful FAA safety report?

Report what you observed as clearly and promptly as practical. The FAA’s Aeronautical Information Manual guidance on ASRS reports also identifies useful details such as date, time, location, people and aircraft involved when applicable, the event’s nature, and pertinent circumstances.

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  1. Record the basics. Note the date and time, flight number, airline, route, airport or location, aircraft details if known, and what you personally saw or heard.
  2. Give a factual sequence. Describe what happened, when and where it happened, who was involved if known, and whether a hazard or continuing risk remains. Separate what you directly observed from assumptions or information passed along by someone else.
  3. Describe conduct, not presumed motives or diagnoses. Explain the actions or conditions that concerned you and, if known, the safety rule or hazard you believe may be implicated. Do not speculate about a person’s medical condition, motive, training, or guilt.
  4. Submit through an FAA Hotline channel. Use the FAA’s current web form, call 866-TELL-FAA (866-835-5322), or write to Federal Aviation Administration, Office of Audit and Evaluation, 800 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20591, Attn: AAE-300, Room 911. Check the current Hotline page for the latest intake details.
  5. Keep your own records. Save a copy of your submission and any supporting notes or documents. This is useful for your records; it is not a promise that the FAA will provide a particular response or disposition.
  6. Separate unrelated issues. If the same trip involved both a safety hazard and, for example, lost baggage, report each through the channel responsible for that issue.

How do you report a flight attendant or pilot?

If your concern is about a flight attendant’s or pilot’s actions in an aviation-safety context, report the observed conduct to the FAA Hotline. Focus on the event and its circumstances rather than drawing conclusions about the crew member’s fitness, intentions, or culpability. Include identifying details only when you know them; a flight number, date, route, and a clear account of what happened can help describe the incident.

If your concern is instead about screening or another security matter, use TSA’s route. If it is a service dispute rather than a safety issue, use the airline and DOT consumer-protection channels described above.

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FAA Hotline and ASRS are not interchangeable

The FAA Hotline is the public route for reporting aviation-safety concerns and alleged regulatory violations. The FAA says Hotline reports are referred to the FAA organization responsible for the matter, while cautioning that some report types fall outside the Hotline’s remit and may be redirected. See the FAA Hotline information.

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ASRS, the Aviation Safety Reporting System, is a separate voluntary safety-reporting program described in the FAA’s Aeronautical Information Manual. Its stated audience includes pilots, controllers, flight attendants, maintenance personnel, other airspace users, and members of the public; its covered areas include cabin operations and crew communications. NASA receives and analyzes ASRS reports as an independent third party.

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The AIM says reports should be submitted within 10 days to qualify as timely for a waiver of certain disciplinary actions, unless extended for good cause. That is specific ASRS program language, not general immunity. It should not be read as a protection for a passenger who submits an FAA Hotline report. Anyone considering ASRS should review current program materials and decide whether that route fits their circumstances.

What if you are an airline worker facing retaliation?

The FAA’s AIR21 Whistleblower Protection Program describes protections against discrimination for specified employees of U.S. air carriers and U.S. aircraft or component manufacturers, including their contractors and subcontractors, who provide information about air-carrier safety. It does not cover every aviation worker or passengers.

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For a covered worker, OSHA handles the employment-discrimination allegation, while the FAA investigates the underlying safety allegation. The FAA page is dated July 24, 2024. Because procedures and deadlines matter, check current FAA and OSHA instructions promptly and consider qualified employment-law advice if you face retaliation.

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What happens after you submit a report?

The FAA says Hotline reports are routed to the FAA organization with oversight or responsibility for the reported matter. Its public guidance does not establish a universal investigation timeline, guarantee an individual response, or promise a particular enforcement outcome. Do not assume every report will lead to an investigation or that you will be told the result.

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What to do in an accident or immediate emergency

For immediate danger, call 911. The FAA’s Office of Accident Investigation & Prevention says to call 911 first in an aircraft accident, then contact the NTSB Response Operations Center at 844-373-9922. For safety concerns that are not accidents, it directs people to the FAA Safety Hotline.

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