[Rabe Anton]

A couple of comments about the hyperlink for USAAF "accident reports" that Ed West has recently posted.

(1) A more correct term for the documents in question is flying mishap investigative board reports.

(2) Members of the public may obtain any and all of the investigative board reports advertised at http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/ for free from the Air Force Historical Research Agency (AFHRA/RSA), 600 Chennault Circle, Maxwell AFB, AL 36112-6424, U.S.A. Only
one report per request, please.

(3) Essentially, the AAIR organization is commercially marketing archival files readily available at no charge to the public. There is no law against such activities, but those interested in such marketing should be aware of its artificial profit-making dimensions.

(4) The "accident reports" advertised at http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/ were NOT "recently declassified." Rather, by official policy decisions made in ca. 1992-1993, the reports down to Jan. 1956 were made available to the public through removal of certain administrative (not security) markings.

There may be other mistakes and commercial elements within the site Ed West has noted, but the above might be a beginning.

RA