John and Greg catch listeners up with some major aviation news. Findings are being shared from the Kobe Bryant crash investigation. The 737-500 crash in Indonesia may be the result of a known issue. Piper single engine aircraft now have an airworthiness directive to be addressed along with two service bulletins.

Kobe Bryant Crash
The NTSB Sunshine Hearing about the 2020 Calabasas helicopter crash
covered expected findings related to weather, spatial awareness and preflight planning. Missing was mention of situational awareness and weather avoidance.

Indonesia Sriwijaya Air Crash
The throttle is the focus of the investigation into the January crash of a 737-500. The plane maintenance history does not make clear if a 2001 Airworthiness Directive related to throttle and thrust issues had been completed.
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Piper Aircraft Wing Issues
Jason Lukasik, president of JL2 Aviation Consultants and former FAA inspector, returns for continued discussion of the service bulletins and airworthiness directive related to Piper single engine aircraft. The different safety issues addressed in SB 1224C, SB 1304A and AD 2020-26-16 are covered.
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With great sadness, that the community shares the news of the passing of former Philadelphia FAA Inspector Ernie Scardecchio. Ernie was Instrumental in the creation of the PAMA First State Chapter - PAMA Maintenance Symposium many years ago. He helped grow the Symposium into one of the largest maintenance training events in the country.  Without his continued support, it would not have evolved into the event it is today. 

Ernest Philip Scardecchio, 74, of East Greenville passed away peacefully on Sunday, February 7th, 2021 with his family by his side. He was the beloved husband of Jeanne Scardecchio.

Born in Philadelphia, PA, he was the son of the late Ernest and Rose Scardecchio. He served our country honorably in the Air Force, and continued his service with the Air National Guard. Ernest was employed by the F.A.A. for 25 years as a Flight Instructor and a Flight Safety Inspector. Along with his wife, he is survived by his sons: Ernest James and his wife Laura of Reading and Jason Robert of Bally; grandchildren: Tyler and Aaron; and a sister: Patricia, wife of Raymond Warner who resides in Georgia.

A Celebration of his Life will be held at a later date. The Falk Funeral Homes & Crematory, Pennsburg are in charge of arrangements. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to East Greenville Boy Scout Troop 108, 435 Main St, East Greenville, PA 18041. To offer condolences, visit their "Book of Memories" at falkfuneralhomes.com.

The FAA’s role in flight safety has evolved over the years. This episode covers the Safety Management System (SMS), the potential expansion into charter aviation, and the value of building a safety culture in all types of aviation. Aspects of FAA operations – past, present and future – are discussed.

The episode continues a conversation with John Allen, Manager at Allen and Associates Consulting, LLC. His expertise includes the military, airline industry and FAA.

Allen reflects on his time at JetBlue and the focused effort to implement SMS there. The culture changes brought with that process made it a better organization for safety, operational discipline, and risk management.

“Just culture,” a concept that emphasizes that mistakes are not solely brought about by the person or persons directly involved, also gets a look. In a just culture, after an incident, the question asked is, “What went wrong?” rather than “Who caused the problem?” A just culture is the opposite of a blame culture, which has been especially prevalent in aircraft maintenance operations.
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The FAA has taken a hit following high-profile crashes of the 737 Max. Investigators and congressional hearings have laid the blame on the FAA aircraft certification process and its too-close relationship with Boeing. Will the agency be able to restore its reputation?

Guest is John Allen, Manager at Allen and Associates Consulting, LLC. His resume includes service in
the US military as well as leadership roles at the FAA and JetBlue.

The discussion takes a candid look at the issues. They also explore the FAA’s leadership in many areas of aviation safety.
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This episode offers an insider look at the internal workings of the FAA as well as the challenges of balancing safety and economics. They also explain the role of regulatory authorities around the globe.

​Flight Safety Detectives is sponsored by Avemco Insurance. Mention the Flight Safety Detectives podcast and receive a 5% discount!

Last fall, the FAA officially convened the Department of Transportation’s Youth Access to American Jobs in Aviation Task Force. Appointees have since been collecting information regarding experiences with youth engagement, career development, workforce needs and industry readiness.
 
To assist in that work, the task force requests assistance gathering input from students in AMTS and any other aviation-specific training programs about the experiences with youth interest in aviation careers.
 
Please share the following invitation with students in your programs, encouraging feedback that will help turn their decision to develop aviation skills into better industry-wide effort to recruit and develop new talent:
 
The United States – and world – need more people to pursue careers in aviation. Since you’re on the path already, your experience is invaluable to the industry as it improves recruitment and retention efforts. Please share that experience by completing the following questionnaire, which was developed by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Youth Access to American Jobs in Aviation Task Force. Anything you share will be confidential and will not be seen by your school or instructors. To complete the survey, access the Google Form at https://forms.gle/x38aRMXxUA6qUEqc7.

The deadline to submit a response is Feb. 28.

​Is complacency seeping into all areas of aviation safety? From pilots doing casual preflights to the NTSB’s continued refusal to do on-site investigations for most aviation accidents, John and Greg have safety concerns at all levels.

The safety culture of aviation is stagnating. The findings of the Rand Report – written more than 20 years ago – have not been implemented. It outlines issues with the NTSB organizational culture that persist today. The result is a decrease in the board’s role as stated in the report: “The NTSB must be an open and impartial agent pursuing the cause of aviation.”

It is a tragedy that the NTSB is not going to the scene of general aviation accidents to collect information. Safety insights are being lost as investigators resort to superficial probable case statements.

This episode also looks at issues caused by COVID-19 disruptions, from the complexities of bringing planes back to service to people losing skills from inactivity. Was COVID a factor in the recent 737 crash in Indonesia?

Flight Safety Detectives is sponsored by Avemco Insurance. Mention the Flight Safety Detectives podcast and receive a 5% discount!