Aero accident probes take back seat during gov't shutdown

National Transportation Safety Board investigators have been unable to probe 13 accidents since the partial government shutdown Oct. 1. The government agency has also postponed two others, including one scheduled for November involving an Asiana Airlines jetliner that crash-landed July 6 in San Francisco. In total, NTSB has put 1,500 investigations on hold; and sent home 383 of its 405 employees. Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) said the shutdown has “recklessly been putting our economy at risk of a relapse.” Mississippi Republican Sen. Roger Wicker warned that both political parties must be willing to compromise. Aerospace Industries Association CEO Marion Blakey warned a congressional panel Friday that the longer the shutdown continues, smaller aerospace supply businesses will suffer potential collapses and be hurt worse than the more established aviation firms. Source: Bloomberg, Oct. 11, 2013.