As Boeing continues to be the subject of investigations and congressional hearings the concept of criminalization has come to the forefront. This could have a devastating impact on aviation safety in the U.S. Special guest and aviation attorney Mark Dombroff focuses on efforts to criminalize the investigation of aviation accidents and incidents. The effort to use criminal prosecutions to address aviation safety issues in the U.S. would dramatically impact the process of getting to the facts, inc...
Jun 26, 2024•45 min•Ep. 227
Missing equipment and inexperience led to a plane crash that killed 3. Precipitation, turbulence, and icing were factors in the crash of a Piper PA-30 Comanche in Oklahoma. The pilot did not have an instrument certification and was not able to handle the conditions. The pilot had a private pilot and multiengine rating but did not have instrument training. Todd Curtis, Miles O’Brien, and John Goglia discuss what may have driven the pilot to fly into deteriorating weather. “Getting there” seems to...
Jun 19, 2024•22 min•Ep. 226
The fatal crash of Hughes 369 helicopter being used to trim trees has a backstory that gives insight into what went wrong. This workhorse of a helicopter apparently had damage from previous incidents. The NTSB investigation found cracks in an engine mount that were likely present before the crash. John Goglia and Todd Curtis look beyond the fatal accident and share three previous investigations involving this helicopter. Two involved a crash with serious structural damage or a hard landing. Thes...
Jun 12, 2024•31 min•Ep. 225
Training flight gone wrong! An examination of a February 2024 accident that involved an unstable approach, a tail strike, and a near collision with an airplane hanger. Both the instructor and student involved in the Cessna 172 accident survived. Their account of the event provides insights into how a routine training flight turned into a near disaster. The instructor's decision-making created a dangerous situation. Shortly before landing, ATC redirected the aircraft to a much shorter runway, and...
Jun 05, 2024•24 min•Ep. 224
The crew of a United Airlines 727 tried to turn back shortly after takeoff from Los Angeles, but did not make it back to the airport. The plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean. Greg Feith, Todd Curtis, and John Goglia discuss the crash of the 727-22QC in 1969. Electrical failures and electrical system design contributed to the plane crash. The accident happened on a night with limited visibility due to the weather. The aircraft had three electrical generators, but only two were working. Shortly a...
May 29, 2024•46 min•Ep. 223
Oil and oxygen don’t mix on airplanes. A crew doing maintenance on the Air Force One oxygen system ignored safety procedures resulting in $4 million dollars of damage the plane. The damage was caused by maintenance activity on the oxygen system of a U.S. Air Force VC-25A, a 747 aircraft that regularly flies the President of the United States. This event occurred in 2016. John Goglia and Todd Curtis share evidence that crew did not follow the VC-25A's aircraft maintenance manual procedures for cl...
May 22, 2024•28 min•Ep. 222
New evidence calls into question the NTSB's conclusions – and our reporting in Episode 193 - about a 2020 midair collision. Video and other information shows that there were two helicopters in the area before the midair collision. Miles O'Brien, Todd Curtis, and John Goglia revisit the 2020 midair collision of a drone and a helicopter. The NTSB used a video shot by the drone to conclude that a helicopter seen at the beginning of the video later collided with the drone. When Todd recently used th...
May 15, 2024•32 min•Ep. 221
Two Piper airplane crashes show that pilots’ bad decisions can have devastating results. This episode covers two avoidable fatal crashes. A 1991 accident involves a Piper Seneca in Florida. The NTSB found that the two occupants were partially disrobed and no evidence that either were wearing seat belts or shoulder harnesses. The report makes clear that the two occupants were attempting to join the Mile High Club. In the second event, a Cessna 150 crashed in 2014 after the pilot took off at night...
May 08, 2024•23 min•Ep. 220
Coming to you from the 2024 AMC Competition in Chicago! Miles O'Brien, Todd Curtis, John Goglia, Greg Feith, and aircraft mechanic and accident investigator Jason Lukasik share the experience of the competition. Every aspect of aviation maintenance and repair was on display as competitors worked to beat the clock. This year more than 400 competitors from nearly 90 teams from maintenance schools, airlines, and the military tackled 27 aviation maintenance skills challenges. Hear about the displays...
May 01, 2024•38 min•Ep. 219
Special guest Henry Gourdji shares the work of the Laura Taber Barbour Foundation, which presents the Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award. The air safety award has been given in recognition of aviation safety leadership since 1956. Recipients include John Goglia in 2020. The award grew out of the 1945 crash of a DC3 that killed all 20 crew and passengers, including Laura Taber Barbour. Her family created the award to recognize significant air safety achievements. Henry highlights the ongoing de...
Apr 24, 2024•43 min•Ep. 218
Miles O'Brien joins Todd Curtis and John Goglia to discuss two fatal general aviation accidents that involved aircraft that were just out of maintenance. In focus are the decisions and actions pilots and maintenance personnel could have taken to avoid the crashes or make them survivable. One crash involves a Piper Cherokee on its second flight after an oil pressure line was replaced. The pilot did not do a basic preflight check or notice a five-foot diameter oil stain under the aircraft. The eng...
Apr 17, 2024•33 min•Ep. 217
A Beech Hawker 900XP jet crashed while doing a flight test of a stall warning system. Special guest Miles O'Brien joins Todd Curtis and John Goglia deconstruct the February 2024 aviation incident. The accident occurred during a positioning flight that happened after completion of maintenance of the anti-icing component on the leading edge of the wing. The flight crew was performing a required test of the stall warning system. The aircraft lost control and crashed about 11 minutes after takeoff. ...
Apr 10, 2024•32 min•Ep. 216
A photo shoot in a dry Nevada lakebed went horribly wrong when the wing of an airplane hit the model in the head. Miles O’Brien, Todd Curtis, and John Goglia discuss the June 2023 accident that involved an Aviate Husky plane. The pilot, photographer and his wife, who was the model for the photo session, met early on the morning of the accident. On the fly, they planned a complex photo session involving the aircraft flying close to the model. The pilot misjudged his approach and the wingtip of th...
Apr 03, 2024•30 min•Ep. 215
Home-built aircraft are dangerous. Special guest Miles O'Brien joins Todd Curtis and John Goglia to discuss an August 2023 crash of a Kit Fox Model 3 aircraft that seriously injured the pilot. The FAA's approach to home-built aircraft allows owners to build their aircraft with little or no direct oversight. The accident rate is more than two times higher than general aviation aircraft. The pilot did not have a current FAA medical certification or a current endorsement to operate an aircraft as a...
Mar 27, 2024•26 min•Ep. 214
An experienced flight instructor and student were killed when stall and spin practice in a Cessna 172 went horribly wrong. Flight data recorded by the aircraft and other evidence shows that the aircraft entered a very steep spiral turn nearly 6,000 above the ground and did not recover. “They set themselves up for the right conditions. This accident just doesn’t make sense,” John Goglia says. Todd Curtis and John dig into the November 11, 2021 fatal plane crash. The flight instructor had nearly 1...
Mar 20, 2024•26 min•Ep. 213
More than 50 people were injured on March 11 when a Boeing 787 flying from Australia to New Zealand experienced a precipitous drop. John Goglia shares inside information that indicates one of the pilot seats was accidentally moved forward, jamming the pilot up against the control column and causing the sudden drop. Special guest Miles O'Brien joins Todd Curtis and John Goglia to discuss this and another aviation incident from early March 2024. The second incident occurred on March 7, when a plan...
Mar 15, 2024•32 min•Ep. 212
Todd Curtis, Greg Feith, and John Goglia discuss the crash of a Joby JAS4 eVTOL aircraft to highlight safety concerns and regulatory challenges. Propulsion units used in eVTOLs pose significant safety risks. The eVTOL in this crash was being remotely flown during a test flight. The aircraft is powered by six electric motors and is designed to take off and land vertically like a helicopter and cruise like an airplane. John, Greg, and Todd examine how the design of the aircraft, with a unique conf...
Mar 13, 2024•32 min•Ep. 211
Todd Curtis and John Goglia discuss the February 9, 2024 crash of a Challenger 604 jet on I75 in Florida. The plane landed on the road, but then crashed into a wall, killing the pilot and copilot. John and Todd discuss why a better outcome was possible. The jet, which had three crew members and two passengers, was nearing the end of a flight from Columbus, Ohio, when the flight crew declared an emergency to air traffic control. They lost their engines and could not make it to the airport. Little...
Mar 06, 2024•20 min•Ep. 210
The helicopter crash that killed the CEO of a major Nigerian bank and his family appears to be the result of similar pilot errors that caused the Kobe Bryant crash and other high-profile accidents. Greg Feith and John Goglia cite several recent accidents that show that poor decisions among pilots who fly for Part 135 operators may be the common contributing factor. The Flight Safety Detectives explore the known facts surrounding the fatal flight. The forecast called for wintry mix along the flig...
Feb 28, 2024•39 min•Ep. 209
Most general aviation pilots hesitate to declare an inflight emergency fearing negative consequences. Greg Feith, John Goglia and Todd Curtis use a Beechcraft Bonanza plane crash to illustrate how declaring an emergency can be the safest move. The fatal Beechcraft Bonanza accident in the spotlight of this episode is featured in the book, "Single-Pilot IFR Pro Tips" written by 2019 National CFI of the Year Gary "GPS" Reeves. Known as The Guy in the Pink Shirt, Reeves uses examples from several in...
Feb 21, 2024•33 min•Ep. 208
Singer Jenni Rivera’s tragic plane crash was a tragic accident and not the result of a conspiracy. This special episode of the Flight Safety Detectives features the January 24 interview Todd Curtis gave on the KIQI radio show “Hecho en California,” about the 2012 crash that killed Jenni Rivera. Todd shares with hosts Isabel and Marcos Gutierrez the conclusions shared by the Flight Safety Detectives team after they analyzed the formal accident report that was released by the Mexican government. T...
Feb 14, 2024•25 min•Ep. 207
The pilot of a Beech Bonanza F33A made an off-field landing when the engine lost power shortly after takeoff. John Goglia, Greg Feith and Todd Curtis dig into the information gathered by the NTSB and find this crash was caused by poor decisions made by the pilot. Greg, Todd, and John analyze the information from the Public Docket of the crash investigation. They find that the pilot's lack of understanding about the aircraft and its systems contributed a series of decisions that led to the plane ...
Feb 07, 2024•35 min•Ep. 206
The events that led up to the crash of a MD82 in Detroit are used to illustrate the critical role of operational discipline. Greg, Todd and John give insight into the issues that led to Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashing and disintegrating. This is just one example of bad decisions taking an airplane out of the sky. This aviation disaster killed two people on the ground and nearly everyone on board. The sole survivor was a four-year-old girl who was seriously injured. Hear the experts dissec...
Jan 31, 2024•36 min•Ep. 205
Jenni Rivera was a huge celebrity at the time of her death. Was the plane crash that killed her an accident or do the conspiracy theories point to the real cause? In a continuation of the examination of this aviation incident that started in Episode 203, Greg Feith joins John Goglia and Todd Curtis to discuss why the conspiracy theories related to the crash are unlikely to be true. They use the evidence uncovered during the official investigation combined with their knowledge of the accident air...
Jan 24, 2024•34 min•Ep. 204
Todd and John analyze the plane crash that killed singer Jenni Rivera. The report from the Mexican accident investigation found that the Learjet 25 aircraft lost control during climb for reasons that could not be determined. Key items are missing from the report that concluded that the crash was a loss of control event: No analysis results of the flight controls No flight data recorder recovered No cockpit voice recorder found No formal analysis of the pilots The In the wake of Rivera's death, t...
Jan 17, 2024•26 min•Ep. 203
Latest on the Alaska Airlines Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 737 MAX 9 aircraft plug door separation and rapid decompression. Todd, Greg, and John discuss recent developments, including the recovery of the plug door. They talk about the value of having the plug door for inspection. They share the sequence of events that led to the door separation based on factual evidence. The spotlight is now turning to Boeing. Will the company’s future actions keep the CEO’s promise that Boeing will be transparen...
Jan 10, 2024•55 min•Ep. 202
Runway images show that the Coast Guard Dash 8 involved in the collision with Japan Airlines Flight 516 was in the wrong place. The crew was to hold on the taxiway, but were actually on the runway. The plane standing still on the center line would have been virtually invisible to the pilots of the JAL Airbus A350. The scenario is similar to a runway collision involving US Air Flight 1493 that John investigated as an NTSB Board member. That investigation made midfield takeoffs illegal in the Unit...
Jan 10, 2024•28 min•Ep. 201
United Airlines has reported loose bolts on five of their 737 MAX 9 aircraft plug doors. This is the latest in the unfolding look at what happened in the incident involving Alaska Airlines Flight 1282. John and Greg use insights from their decades of experience inside NTSB and other aviation safety incident investigations to explain the latest developments. They cover the information that has been released so far and what is to come. John goes through the steps that aircraft mechanics would have...
Jan 09, 2024•26 min•Ep. 200
What happened to Alaska Airlines Flight 1282? What is going on at Boeing? In this special episode, Greg and John provide expert insight into the rapid decompression and inflight separation of an exit door panel on a Boeing 737-9 Max airplane. The Flight Safety Detectives dissect issues surrounding this incident and the regulatory response that is already happening. They discuss similar incidents, including United Airlines Flight 811 747 near Honolulu where a Boeing 747-122 lost a cargo door. Joh...
Jan 07, 2024•26 min•Ep. 199
Airport rescue and firefighting expert Jack Kreckie and the Flight Safety Detectives discuss the January 2, 2024 runway collision between a Japan Airlines A350 and a Japan Coast Guard Dash 8 in Tokyo. Kreckie shares his inside knowledge of aircraft firefighting techniques and the systems in place to save lives and manage fires. He shares how modern composite materials used on aircraft impact the job of firefighters. This event is compared with other notable accidents, including the ground collis...
Jan 04, 2024•40 min•Ep. 198
