Newsrooms everywhere are focused on the news of terrorism threats against trans-Atlantic flights and the effects around the world. IRE offers resources about terrorism, security, infrastructure and more.

The NICAR Database Library offers several items related to aviation safety and regulation, including Federal Aviation Administration data updated monthly to provide the most current information on demand. See details and sample data at www.ire.org/datalibrary/databases/databases.php.

Journalists may be particularly interested in the following data:

• The FAA Accident and Incidents database documents reported events from the 1970s to the present. The records identify the aircraft involved, the location, casualties or deaths that resulted, and entries have a remarks field describing the incident. Reporters have searched this field for key words to find security breaches and cases involving passengers with weapons, etc.
• The NASA Air Safety Reporting System collects anonymous reports from anyone involved in aviation -- from pilots to passengers or airport workers -- to document safety issues or other incidents that raise concern. NICAR's version covers 1988-2005 and contains more than 128,000 incidents. The reports lack specific details on aircraft or occurrence dates, but they can be used to identify particular events to follow up with other sources or note in stories (rather than using it to quantify trends in aviation safety).
For more related materials, see IRE's Aviation Resources.

• The versatile Federal Contracts database can point reporters toward companies performing work for the Transportation Safety Administration, and other government agencies related to aviation safety. Find out what role local firms may play in airport security.

• Tipsheets#1696: A list of Internet resources for covering aviation safety.
• Tipsheets#2218: Finding the story in airport security. The tipsheet gives good insight into getting to know airport employees and developing good sources among the air marshals, plus hints on documents and Web sites.
• Tipsheets#1712: General guidelines for covering the secret world of air security. One of the most interesting tips is "Think like a terrorist."
• Tipsheets#1582: This handout explains how to work off deadline on the aviation beat. The handout offers tips how to put in use GAO reports and other audits, and how the Federal Aviation Administration works.
• IRE's Beat Book, Covering Aviation Safety: An Investigator's Guide, also offers helpful information as well as a companion Web site. The book is available through the Resource Center. Or check out a compilation of stories using computer-assisted reporting and FAA data.

• Tipsheets#1839: Track down experts at U.S. biosafety labs, the facilities prepared to deal with the most dangerous chemical and biological threats.
• Tipsheets#1911: Learn how to find terrorism cases in the federal court system.
• Tipsheets#1951: See a spreadsheet of international terrorism convictions in the U.S. during 2003. The tipsheet also contains two articles from the Philadelphia Inquirer, one about 65 New Jersey terrorism cases and one concerning the Department of Justice's inflation of terrorism convictions, along with a docket from a district court case in Massachusetts.
• Tipsheets#1536: Find sources of international data helpful in reporting on other countries' policies, terrorism and counter-terrorism, intelligence, worldwide corruption, and more.
• Tipsheets#1534: International Web sites offering information useful for terrorism investigations.
• Tipsheets#2002: Suggestions for using readily available data, such as the U.S. Census or NICAR Database Library resources, for investigating the war on terrorism.