No portion of a report of the Board, related to an accident or investigation of an accident, may be admitted into evidence or used in a civil action for damages resulting from a matter mentioned in the report. (49 U.S.C. § 1154(b)) Of course, a variety of material issued by or under the control of the Board or its employees may be of interest to private litigants and other individuals.

49 CFR 837 contains procedures to be followed when requesting material for use in legal proceedings (including administrative proceedings) in which the National Transportation Safety Board is not a party. Requests for material have been divided into two categories:

• Requests for material contained in the NTSB's official public docket or its computerized database (see 49 CFR Part 801 for the types of documents routinely issued by the Board) are directed to Records Management Division (see Sources of Information) (49 CFR § 837.3)
• Requests for production of other materials in response to a demand of a private litigant, court or other authority should be directed to the Office of the General Counsel. (49 CFR §837.4)

See Regulations for more information.
For requests for employee testimony, see Testimony of Board Employees.