FAKE DEATHS: Walter Olson: NTSB Misled Public On Cellphone Toll. “The NTSB’s own mission statement describes the board’s primary function as ‘determining the probable cause of transportation accidents’ with ‘independence and objectivity.’ If instead its leaders mislead the public about accident causes, and forsake their independence in exchange for a cheerleading role in DoT campaigns, one has to ask: is the board worth keeping?”