Aviation is in the news and the headlines are tragic. The Ukraine crisis poses new risks for commercial aviation safety. Fatal general aviation accidents are on the rise. Netflix’s “Downfall – the Case Against Boeing” chooses emotion over facts. The FAA administrator’s sudden resignation adds to the turmoil. Greg, John and Todd share their insights into these and other current events. They recommit to the mission of improving aviation safety at all levels. They invite listeners to suggest topics...
Mar 02, 2022•36 min•Ep. 110
Episode 106 Dissecting the fatal crash of a Cirrus SR20 near Hobby Airport in Texas. This accident highlights the value of careful preflight planning. “Solid preflight planning leaves nothing to chance, and that would have made a difference here,” says John Goglia. While the pilot had experience with the aircraft, her experience landing at a high traffic airports is less clear. John and Greg wonder if another pilot in the cockpit or a plan to land at a less constrained airport could have made a ...
Feb 23, 2022•33 min•Ep. 109
Episode 105 Greg and John are all over the news reports of the proposed merger of Frontier and Spirit airlines. Both companies have low customer satisfaction ratings. Will the combination create a larger poor performing airline or lead to safety improvements? The conversation covers the back stories of several past commercial airline mergers. They share inside knowledge of issues and crashes that happened during and soon after mergers. As employees adjust to new procedures and operations, attent...
Feb 16, 2022•32 min•Ep. 108
Episode 104 The NTSB final report related to a Cessna 172 crash has Greg, John and Todd concluding that pilots and mechanics are being led to focus on the wrong safety issues. Chasing the wrong issues is stalling advances in aviation safety. This accident is cited as the basis for a NTSB safety recommendation to add active carbon monoxide detectors to all general aviation aircraft . However, the accident details tell a completely different safety story. “Once again, the NTSB has stopped their in...
Feb 09, 2022•39 min•Ep. 107
Episode 103 United Airlines just launched its own flight school. Does United Aviate Academy offer a better option for would-be pilots than college aviation programs? Greg, John and Todd share first impressions. The program appears to be more expensive than other ways of earning pilot credentials and stops short of ATP certification. They talk about why the program may be better or worse than college programs and private flight schools. The new road rage? The Flight Safety Detectives also talk ab...
Feb 02, 2022•32 min•Ep. 106
Episode 102 Even high-profile crashes can result in NTSB reports that miss important safety takeaways. The focus of this episode is the October 2002 crash that killed Senator Paul Wellstone and seven others. John, Greg, Todd and guest Dick Healing talk about facts that played a much greater role in the accident than the listed probable cause. “There is no question that contributing factors were poor practices by the operator,” Healing says. The charter operator’s organizational deficiencies set ...
Jan 26, 2022•42 min•Ep. 105
Episode 101 Greg, John and Todd have a lively conversation triggered by the recent announcement from Delta Airlines that pilots no longer need a college education. Will this impact aviation safety? “I know a lot of pilots that know aviation but don’t understand aviation,” says Greg. He adds that investigating the results of their poor decisions keeps him busy as a safety investigator. The question at the center of the debate is what is needed to equip pilots to make the decisions and have the ma...
Jan 19, 2022•36 min•Ep. 104
Episode 100 Episode 100 looks ahead to what’s next for Flight Safety Detectives. There’s a fresh new look and new segments to educate and entertain while doing the serious work of promoting aviation safety. Hear John and Greg talk about their plans for 2022. They offer updates on recent major accidents covered in earlier episodes: Pratt & Whitney engine failure investigation, Episode 67 TransAir 810 crash, Episode 78 Get a preview of an upcoming episode about the Citation accident involving ...
Jan 13, 2022•35 min•Ep. 103
Episode 99 Winter weather and questionable piloting have led to another series of aviation accidents. Greg and John look at the initial information and stress the importance of not flying beyond your skills and knowledge. One fatal crash took the life of their good friend Charlie Schneider, CEO of MYGOFLIGHT. They share the known details that led to the crash of his Cirrus SR22. They reflect on his dedication to general aviation and general aviation safety. The NTSB has released the final report...
Dec 23, 2021•53 min•Ep. 102
This episode opens with a recap of the recent ceremony where John received the National Aeronautic Association Distinguished Statesman of Aviation Award. The event recognized his many contributions to aviation. John, Greg and Todd review four recent aircraft accidents – three general aviation and one commercial. They offer initial analysis and the safety questions that should be answered during the investigation process. A Bonanza crash in California led to four fatalities. Weather appears to be...
Dec 16, 2021•49 min•Ep. 101
Episode 97 A number of accidents happened Thanksgiving weekend, a trend that needs to be changed. Greg and John offer several flight safety tips for general aviation pilots planning holiday travel. Listen to make sure you’re planning for the safest trip possible. John and Greg cover the importance of preflight planning, factoring in weather en route, dealing with icing conditions and more. The Flight Safety detectives also share listener emails and tease plans for 2022. They invite more listener...
Dec 08, 2021•39 min•Ep. 100
Episode 96 Safety training for the aviation community isn’t effective and needs an overhaul. Greg and John drive home this point by talking about the high rate of fatal accidents in November. Particular focus is on the accident that killed Blue Origin crew member Glen de Vries. “We’re not reaching pilots and the aviation community with effective safety training,” John says. Greg adds that people don’t read manuals or safety material available from the FAA and NTSB. Recent accidents involve a ran...
Dec 01, 2021•45 min•Ep. 99
Episode 95 Several accidents caused by icing reveal safety information that pilots need to know. As we head into a time when icing can be common, John, Greg and Todd want to be sure everyone avoids the mistakes other pilots have made. “Icing has greater impact on general aviation aircraft than commercial planes. It is important to be prepared for icing incidents,” Greg says. In this episode the Flight Safety Detectives focus on one general aviation icing event and relate it to lessons learned fr...
Nov 24, 2021•39 min•Ep. 98
Episode 94 The conversation continues with Hoot Gibson. Gibson’s life in aviation started growing up and took him to the cockpit of Navy fighters, NASA space shuttles and many test and race aircraft. Hoot, John, Greg and Todd cover the many unique experiences of Gibson’s career. His experiences and lessons learned offer every pilot key takeaways. Hear Hoot narrate the experience of his five shuttle missions, including the handshake that ended the Cold War. Gibson is also known as the ambassador ...
Nov 17, 2021•55 min•Ep. 97
Episode 93 Hoot Gibson is the special guest for this discussion of space safety lessons that benefit all aspects of aviation. Gibson is a five-time space shuttle crew member and a professional pilot. He shares his experiences to offer insights into the importance of scrutinizing even the smallest issues and the value of training in preparing for flights of all kinds. Hoot, John, Greg and Todd discuss the commercial space program, including Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic and SpaceX. While NASA has ...
Nov 10, 2021•54 min•Ep. 96
Greg, John and Todd take a look at the NTSB report of a 2019 crash in Auburn Township, Ohio. They question the conclusion that the cause was spatial disorientation. Overall, the report lacks information to benefit air safety. They explore additional factors worthy of more detail than is found in the report: “Getthereitis” despite poor weather Pilot’s heart health Poor decision making Aircraft maintenance history They conclude that NTSB report does not represent the results of a thorough and meth...
Nov 03, 2021•51 min•Ep. 95
Episode 91 Greg and John share takeaways from the recent National Business Aviation Association annual convention in Las Vegas. While there, they offered maintenance personnel a training session on the accident investigation process and the role they should play. The convention has Greg and John focused on the future of avionics, automations and other technology in aviation. Changes are coming, for better or worse. Automations are increasing, potentially loosening the focus on the importance of ...
Oct 27, 2021•44 min•Ep. 94
Episode 90 Don’t let an inadequate preflight inspection come back to haunt you. Simple issues can lead to serious accidents for general aviation pilots. Greg Feith, John Goglia and Jason Lukasik look at two accidents to show how preflight inspections can avoid crashes, injury and death. A Piper Seneca crash was attributed to missing cotter pins on the landing gear. Photos shows even more visual evidence of maintenance issues that could have been caught before the plane took off. A Cessna 172 acc...
Oct 20, 2021•39 min•Ep. 93
Episode 89 A Cessna 177RG Cardinal RG crash in September 2021 appears to be the result of poor maintenance and pilot error. Greg Feith, John Goglia and Jason Lukasik dive into key elements of the NTSB preliminary report. The oil analysis alone gives important insight into chronic engine maintenance issues that likely led to the crash. The pilot was at Lake Havasu to get fuel for a flight to Reno. The pilot also performed maintenance there to replace the bushings on the nosewheel because he was e...
Oct 13, 2021•50 min•Ep. 92
Episode 88 The Flight Safety Detectives offer a fresh analysis of the 2008 crash of a Lear Model 60 in Columbia, South Carolina. Travis Barker was one of two passengers who survived the crash that killed the flight crew and two passengers. Crew performance issues started long before the aircraft started takeoff. Greg Feith, John Goglia and Todd Curtis share a minute-by-minute analysis. They uncover issues with operations, briefing inadequacies and crew actions. They dissect known issues with the...
Oct 06, 2021•1 hr 43 min•Ep. 91
Episode 88 The Flight Safety Detectives offer a fresh analysis of the 2008 crash of a Lear Model 60 in Columbia, South Carolina. Travis Barker was one of two passengers who survived the crash that killed the flight crew and two passengers. Crew performance issues started long before the aircraft started takeoff. Greg Feith, John Goglia and Todd Curtis share a minute-by-minute analysis. They uncover issues with operations, briefing inadequacies and crew actions. They dissect known issues with the...
Oct 06, 2021•1 hr 43 min•Ep. 91
Episode 87 Several recent airplane crashes appear to be the result of rusty pilots not following pre-flight checklists and best practices. John, Greg and Todd talk about the difference between accidents that are caused by some anomaly and crashes that result from intentional or negligent actions. Initial information indicates that 2021 is rife with crashes. This episode examines emerging trends. They discuss initial information and investigative questions raised by several recent incidents. John...
Sep 30, 2021•56 min•Ep. 90
Episode 86 The NTSB has finished the investigation into a 2011 crash of a Cessna 421 but the Flight Safety Detectives have issues with the listed probable cause. Further investigation reveals a completely different root cause. Greg, John and Todd go through the details to reveal important aviation safety findings. While the NTSB cited the failure of right engine cam gears, missed was evidence that the engine sustained a lightning strike. “The NTSB stopped at the obvious and didn’t dig deeper,” G...
Sep 22, 2021•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 89
Episode 85 The pilot and six passengers were injured when a Cape Air Cessna 402 crashed just past the runway of Provincetown Municipal Airport (PVC) in Massachusetts on Sept 9. Information is just starting to be collected but Greg, John and Todd already see key takeaways to benefit every pilot. The NTSB has launched an investigation. Questions to look at include the role of weather – did water on the runway impact an attempted landing? What does Flight Radar 24 and Flight Aware data offer and is...
Sep 15, 2021•48 min•Ep. 88
Episode 84 Ignore that seemingly mundane safety bulletin at your own peril. John, Greg and guest Jason Lukasik, president of JL2 Aviation Consultants and former FAA inspector, talk about the importance of knowing and acting on all levels of service instructions. Three levels of service instructions are routinely issued for aircraft. Service letters are generally informational. Service Bulletins ask for a higher level of attention and action. Airworthiness Directives indicate a serious safety iss...
Sep 10, 2021•58 min•Ep. 87
Episode 83 Guest Jonathan Rupprecht of Rupprecht Law joins John and Todd for a discussion of a lawsuit related to recent FAA rulemaking involving drones. The new rule effectively puts drone pilots under surveillance and create significant limits on use. Jonathan discusses his work with Tyler Brennan and RaceDayQuads to petition the FAA to reconsider the remote ID rule . The lawsuit is seeking to strike down the drone remote identification regulations as illegal. The rule requires, among other th...
Sep 01, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 86
Episode 82 USAir Flight 1493, a Boeing 737-300, collided with SkyWest Flight 5569, a Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner turboprop aircraft, upon landing at Los Angeles International Airport in Feb.1991. John led the machinist’s union investigation and discusses the chain of events that led to this accident. The air traffic local controller was distracted by a series of abnormalities when Flight 1493 was on final approach. The SkyWest flight was told to taxi into takeoff position while the USAir fli...
Aug 25, 2021•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 85
Episode 81 Greg was the investigator in charge of the National Transportation Safety Board investigation of Korean Air Flight 801. He shares backstories not in the report to add to understanding of the accident and aftermath. Flight 801 crashed on August 6, 1997, killing 229of the 254 people aboard. The aircraft crashed on Nimitz Hill in Guam while on approach to the airport.The NTSB final report cites poor communication between the flight crew as probable cause for the air crash, along with the...
Aug 18, 2021•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 84
Episode 80 Oshkosh 2021 was an adventure! More than 600,000 people and 10,000 planes were onsite. Greg and John took it all in and share the highlights. The Orbis Flying Eye Hospital was a special exhibit. John had worked on the plane when it was in service for an airline. The Flying Eye Hospital is a state-of-the-art teaching facility complete with operating room, classroom and recovery room. Part of the innovation is a modular interior. Several unique restored planes were on display. Greg talk...
Aug 11, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 83
Episode 79 TWA Flight 514 crashed into Mount Weather in Virginia in 1974 and changed aviation safety forever. This accident led to the creation of the Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS). The TWA 727 crash was due in part to ambiguous information provided to the crew. As a result of the accident, the FAA and NASA created ASRS. The ASRS lets aviation system users contribute lessons and safety issues. Information is used to resolve aviation system issues. Keys to the success of the program inc...
Jul 21, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 82
