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 configuration of six propulsion units, creates several failure modes that don’t exist for currently certified passenger-carrying aircraft. While no one was injured or killed in this crash, Greg, Todd, and John explore risks evident in the accident. They call on the FAA to consider these risks during the certification process. Several eVTOL manufacturers, as well as some manufactures of large jet transports, are designing their aircraft for either single pilot or autonomous operation. These designs make it difficult to respond to unforeseen emergencies. Greg and John note the crew responses to several past aviation accidents and how a single pilot or an autonomous system may not be able to deal with those situations.
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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 official information was available at the time of the recording. It was not known whether the aircraft was equipped with a cockpit voice recorder or flight data recorder. The engines appear to be intact, which will help with the investigation. John and Todd compare this accident to a 1997 Southern Airways DC9 crash in New Hope, Georgia. In that accident the crew was able to land on a road, and the aircraft caught fire after running into obstructions near the road. In both accidents there were survivors among the cabin crew and passengers. Todd and John encourage pilots to assess their options for making an emergency landing so they are prepared to take action if an emergency occurs. flight safety detectives episode 209 - pilots in helicopter crash repeat errors in kobe bryant crash2/28/2024 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 flight path and witnesses reported precipitation at the time of the accident. The helicopter may not have been equipped for the conditions. The pilots were following roads, which can cause disorientation issues during night flying. Greg calls for a new look at regulations that allow Part 135 operators of smaller helicopters to fly without either a cockpit voice recorder or a flight data recorder. The lack of recorders limits information available to accident investigators. John and Greg discuss their experiences consulting for companies and high net worth individuals who use executive air transportation services. They have found an overall lack of due diligence to ensure the safety of these operations. flight safety detectives episode 208 - declaring an in-flight emergency can save your life2/21/2024 Most general aviation pilots hesitate to declare an in-flight emergency fearing negative consequences. Greg Feith, John Goglia and Todd Curtis use a Beechcraft Bonanza plane crash to illustrate how declaring an in-flight 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 incidents to illustrate good general aviation pilot habits. Reeves uses the Beechcaft Bonanza event to highlight the advantages of not waiting to declare an emergency. The Flight Safety Detectives find that this crash is also a classic example of how oversights and bad habits by the pilot in command can lead to an avoidable accident. They offer life-saving insights into this aviation disaster. The NTSB found that the cause was an improperly positioned fuel selector lever. Greg shares his own experience dealing with an improperly positioned lever. John recounts accidents involving fuel selector levers, including the crash that killed John Denver. Amazingly, John’s experience is that many general aviation pilots have problems with the fuel sector due to not using them at all and never getting a feel for how they operate. “It’s not like jumping in the car to go to the grocery store,” John says. “Flying is not that simple. You need to do a thorough preflght, every time.” If the accident pilot had followed Gary Reeves advice to declare an in-flight emergency when problems first develop, the pilot would have been able to land safely at an airport. The FAA would have looked at the scenario as prudent decision making and would likely not have taken any action against the pilot. flight safety detectives episode 207 - conspiracy theories surrounding jenni rivera plane crash2/15/2024 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. Todd, Marcos, and Isabel discuss several conspiracy theories surrounding the Jenni Rivera plane crash, and how the facts of the accident report don’t support those theories. They also cover the Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 plug door loss, an event that happened a few weeks prior to the interview. 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 crash. The pilot took off with the fuel pump on to deal with an overheating problem in two of the six cylinders of the engine. He did this despite a placard advising that the aux pump should not be on during takeoff. In the Continental IO-520 engine in this plane, as in many piston engines, airflow cools the cylinders. Common and overlooked, baffles are critical for proper engine cooling. John details his experiences seeing damaged, cracked and improperly installed baffles on engines. Greg contrasts the good decision the pilot made to not attempt a return the airport with the bad decisions he regularly encounters when pilots make the hazardous and often fatal decision to make an impossible turn back to the runway. 21st Annual First State Chapter - PAMA/west star aviation maintenance symposium & IA Renewal1/29/2024 Saturday - February 10, 2024 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
FREE EVENT TO ALL ATTENDEES Attendee & Sponsorship Registration now Open on Chapter Web site www.FirstStatePAMA.comDeerfield Golf & Tennis Club 507 Thompson Station Rd Newark, Delaware 19711 Event Includes: 8 Hours of IA Approved Training Breakfast Lunch Free After Event Cocktail Hour Door Prizes -ALL Free- 2023 Attendance 275 Sponsor & Vendor Registration NOW OPEN! Symposium Partner - West Star Aviation Meeting Sponsor - $3000.00 Breakfast Sponsor - $1500.00 Morning Coffee Sponsor - ASI Brakes Lunch Sponsor - $2000.00 Afternoon Coffee Sponsor - Polytech School of Aviation Maintenance Cocktails Sponsor - $1750.00 Hors devours Sponsor - $1500.00 Gold Sponsorship - $1750.00 May have more then 1 Gold Sponsor Silver Sponsorship - $1500.00 May have more then 1 Silver Sponsor Bronze Sponsorship - $1000.00 Lee Aerospace Duncan Aviation May have more then 1 Bronze Sponsor All Sponsorship's include a table at the Trade Show Trade Show Tables – 24 available - $750.00 West Star Aviation Concorde Battery Lee Aerospace ASI Brakes Gogo Business Aviation Polytech School of Aviation Maintenance Duncan Aviation Trade Show 8:00 AM till 5:00 PM Vendors interested in sponsorship or tables at the trade show please contact John Agnew – President at admin@firststatepama.com or 302-983-0042 Attendee Registration Open on Chapter Website www.FirstStatePAMA.com 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 aircraft to get to the facts. John, Greg, and Todd compare the Jenni Rivera accident to other accidents that have widely believed conspiracy theories. TWA flight 800 and Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 are two examples. They cover other plane crashes involving celebrities, including the crash that killed Ricky Nelson. Maintenance and operational issues were a factor in the Jenni Rivera crash. The same is true for other high-profile aviation disasters including the crash that killed singer Aaliyah. These events have common contributing factors including the involvement of less than reputable charter organizations and issues around bogus aircraft parts. Some charter flight operators ignore or violate aviation safety regulations and practices. Proposed safety improvements like better data recorders have been opposed by aircraft operators and manufacturers. 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:
The In the wake of Rivera’s death, there have been ongoing rumors that this event was not an accident, a belief that has been supported by a number of television productions. Todd and John examine the facts, data, and analyses contained in the official report. John adds insight into the lax aviation maintenance and compliance common in Mexico. The wreckage shows no evidence of an explosion or other deliberate action. The level of oversight that the US and Mexican governments typically have over aircraft that are registered in the US and operate in Mexico adds complexity to understanding exactly what happened. The Detectives plan a future episode that will focus on the conspiracy theories involving Jenni Rivera’s death. They will look at how much, or how little, the facts of the investigation support those theories. 21st Annual First State Chapter - PAMA/West Star Aviation Maintenance Symposium and IA Renewal1/12/2024 Please join us Saturday Feb 10, 2024 for the 21st Annual First State Chapter - PAMA / West Star Aviation Maintenance Symposium and IA Renewal at the Deerfield Country Club in Newark Delaware. This 8 Hour IA approved event is FREE to all attendees and includes: 8 Hours of IA Approved Training, Breakfast, Lunch, Door Prizes, After Event Cocktail Hour.
All Free. The event will also host a 8 hour Aviation Maintenance Trade Show with 30 Aviation Vendors. Vendors interested in Sponsoring this event or having a booth during the event, please contact John Agnew - First State Chapter PAMA President at Admin@FirstStatePAMA.com or 302-983-0042. For more information go to: FirstStatePAMA.com |
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