Hi TD
Personally, I am generally satisfied with the way the NTSB does their investigations and don't see the advantage of taking this function private. OTOH, I think the FAA could do a better job when given recommendations by the NTSB.
Yep. The only current gripe I have re: NTSB is that its chief, Deborah Hersman, is at the top of a short list to head the Department of Transportaton for President Obama. The current chief resigned just after the grounding of 787, but was pressured into staying on, to avoid making Boeing look bad.
As to FAA, my recommendation is to scrap the entire agency, with
prejudice ("and don't come back").....
I favor a review of NTSB findings, why not? Second opinions are de rigeur in other important realms.
FAA should be a legal and administrative agency/entity, familiar with transport law, risk manaagement, and safety issues, not "to promote Aviation" (from the FAA
charter, I kid you not)