NTSB Accident Reports API

Queries NTSB CAROL data and returns normalized accident investigation records.

Best for

• Accident/incident research
• Aviation/highway/marine safety monitoring
• Case-level enrichment workflows

Input

• queries (array, required): state, mode, NTSB number, or relevant terms
• mode (string, optional): preferred mode (example: Aviation)
• maxItemsPerQuery (integer): max records per query
• includeRaw (boolean): include raw payload

Output

Typical fields:

• source, query, recordType
• title, identifier, date, url, summary
• raw (optional)

Example input

{
  "queries": ["Aviation", "CO"],
  "mode": "Aviation",
  "maxItemsPerQuery": 20,
  "includeRaw": false
}

Example output

{
  "source": "ntsb_carol",
  "query": "Aviation",
  "recordType": "accident_report",
  "title": "Aviation WPR26LA115",
  "identifier": "WPR26LA115",
  "date": "2026-03-02",
  "url": "https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/.../pdf",
  "summary": "Location: Atwater, California, United States | Status: In work"
}

Notes

• Data availability depends on NTSB CAROL endpoint behavior and case publication status.
• Query specificity (mode/state/case id) improves result quality.

Last updated: 2026-03-05 (customer-facing README refresh)