Space accidents: NTSB, FAA agree on leading investigations

HOUSTON (AP) — Two federal agencies say they’ve decided which one will lead investigations when there are accidents in the growing commercial space business. The National Transportation Safety Board said Friday that it will take the lead investigating accidents involving death or serious injury, or ones that create potentially deadly debris. The Federal Aviation Administration will handle other investigations. The two agencies are frequently at odds, usually when the safety board believes its recommendations are being ignored by the FAA, making Friday’s agreement more notable. Leaders of the two agencies signed the agreement at NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston.