Fire on the flight deck is the least of your concerns.

Another thing that inspires worry about NASA's current leadership is the way they have handled a survey of commercial and general aviation pilots about safety concerns. When the Associated Press first asked NASA to release the report, they refused, saying that "publication might affect the public's confidence in airlines," a statement that did not tend to inspire confidence in either the airlines or NASA. Demand grew for the report's release. NASA finally published it. The only problem is that it has more redactions than even Dick Cheney's office would dare attempt. But the redacted report contains just enough evidence of pilot fatigue, even a "pilot asleep on the flight deck," "incidents of engine failure," and "fires aboard," to make you very curious about the redactions. Former NTSB chairman Jim Hall nailed NASA in this comment to the Washington Post: "When a government agency is not transparent to the American people, particularly of issues of safety, they are not fulfilling their responsibilities and earning their pay."

Charles Peters is the founding editor of the Washington Monthly.