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Smithsonian Institution: Better Care Needed for National Air and Space Museum Aircraft

GGD-96-9 Published: Oct 19, 1995. Publicly Released: Oct 19, 1995.
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Highlights

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed aircraft restoration at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum (NASM), focusing on: (1) the adequacy of facilities for preserving aircraft; and (2) options to improve NASM aircraft restoration efforts.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Smithsonian Institution The Secretary of the Smithsonian and the Acting Director, NASM, should consult with the appropriate congressional committees to better define the mission of a national air and space museum, and within that definition, criteria for identifying historically and technologically significant aircraft. As part of this effort, the Secretary and NASM Director should specifically consider the extent to which the museum should include foreign aircraft in its collection and duplicate aircraft contained in the collections of other federally funded museums.
Closed – Implemented
NASM has prepared a new mission statement and has decided not to collect any more foreign aircraft, but believes that the foreign aircraft it has are significant and should be retained.
Other The Secretary of the Smithsonian and the Acting Director, NASM, should consult with the appropriate congressional committees to better define the mission of a national air and space museum, and within that definition, criteria for identifying historically and technologically significant aircraft. As part of this effort, the Secretary and NASM Director should specifically consider the extent to which the museum should include foreign aircraft in its collection and duplicate aircraft contained in the collections of other federally funded museums.
Closed – Implemented
NASM has prepared a new mission statement and has decided not to collect any more foreign aircraft, but believes that the foreign aircraft it has are significant and should be retained.
Smithsonian Institution The Secretary of the Smithsonian and the Acting Director, NASM, should determine the relative priority of the aircraft contained in the NASM collection in the context of historically and technologically significant aircraft.
Closed – Implemented
NASM has prepared a new collections rationale determining the relative priority of aircraft contained in the NASM collection.
Other The Secretary of the Smithsonian and the Acting Director, NASM, should determine the relative priority of the aircraft contained in the NASM collection in the context of historically and technologically significant aircraft.
Closed – Implemented
NASM has prepared a new collections rationale determining the relative priority of aircraft contained in the NASM collection.
Smithsonian Institution The Secretary of the Smithsonian and the Acting Director, NASM, should determine the number and types of aircraft that should be retained, given the newly established criteria and actual and expected levels of funding and storage capacity.
Closed – Implemented
NASM has completed a list of the number and types of aircraft that will be retained and displayed at the new Dulles facility.
Other The Secretary of the Smithsonian and the Acting Director, NASM, should determine the number and types of aircraft that should be retained, given the newly established criteria and actual and expected levels of funding and storage capacity.
Closed – Implemented
NASM has completed a list of the number and types of aircraft that will be retained and displayed at the new Dulles extension.
Smithsonian Institution The Secretary of the Smithsonian and the Acting Director, NASM, should deaccession those aircraft in the NASM collection that either do not meet the historically and technologically significant criteria or cannot be adequately stored and maintained with available resources. In pursuing the latter, additional consideration should also be given to second-party restorations and temporary loans of aircraft.
Closed – Implemented
NASM has increased the number of aircraft loaned to other museums, but has no plans to deaccession aircraft.
Other The Secretary of the Smithsonian and the Acting Director, NASM, should deaccession those aircraft in the NASM collection that either do not meet the historically and technologically significant criteria or cannot be adequately stored and maintained with available resources. In pursuing the latter, additional consideration should also be given to second-party restorations and temporary loans of aircraft.
Closed – Implemented
NASM has increased the number of aircraft loaned to other museums, but has no plans to deaccession aircraft.
Other The new Director, NASM, should develop a management plan for those aircraft that are to remain in the NASM collection which includes: (1) whether and how exhibits will be developed for purposes of displaying the collection; (2) the extent to which each aircraft will be restored and when such restoration will be done; and (3) which organization will be responsible for monitoring each aircraft.
Closed – Implemented
NASM reports that it has prepared a list of artifacts that will be relocated to Dulles and a restoration schedule for the aircraft collection, and determined responsibility for monitoring the aircraft.
Other The new Director, NASM, should develop a plan to increase the interaction of the curators and collections management staff.
Closed – Implemented
NASM reported that interaction between the curators and collections management staff has increased as a result of a reorganization effort.
Other The new Director, NASM, should further explore private funding alternatives and the feasibility of options to better care for aircraft, such as constructing a smaller, environmentally controlled facility to house those aircraft that will remain in the collection and are currently in inadequate storage facilities, as an initial phase of the Dulles Airport extension.
Closed – Implemented
NASM plans to construct a restoration shop and storage/exhibit space initially and build the theater, gift shop, and educational facilities at Dulles later.

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Topics

AircraftCost analysisFederal facilitiesFunds managementGovernment facility constructionHistoric preservationInventory controlMuseumsSite selectionAircraft acquisition program