This post first appeared on the WSJ blog Digits.

By Will Connors

Research In Motion Ltd. may be losing another U.S. government customer, but this time the reason isn’t fickle employees who prefer to carry around an iPhone.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it’s looking to switch from RIM’s BlackBerrys to Apple Inc.’s iPhones because BlackBerrys “have been failing both at inopportune times and at an unacceptable rate,” according to a notice the agency posted on the Federal Business Opportunities website, which solicits bids for federal government work.

“The NTSB requires effective, reliable and stable communication capabilities to carry out its primary investigative mission and to ensure employee safety in remote locations,” the posting said. The NTSB also noted that iPhones would better link with the agency’s already-deployed iPad tablets. An NTSB representative declined to comment further.