The crash of a Pilatus PC-12 this February 24 killed all five aboard. John Goglia and Greg Feith use their investigation prowess to examine whether the air crash was caused by pilot loss of control or structural inflight breakup that led to loss of control.

Greg and John discuss the preliminary NTSB accident report and analyze ADS-B data from the flight. They review the facts that show why this accident is likely more than a case of spatial disorientation.

The crash was the third fatal accident for air ambulance provider Guardian Flight. Investigators will need to get a true picture of the event through data and weather analysis, examination of the wreckage, and detailing the sequence of events starting well before takeoff.

Greg walks through ADS-B data that indicates the initial climb initially appeared normal. At about 18,000 feet, the speeds and heading diverge from normal. Soon after, the plane goes into a spiraling pattern. The data will need to be correlated with the physical evidence collected to create an accurate scenario.
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“Looking at the data threw up red flags for me. We need the facts, conditions and circumstances to properly analyze what happened,” Greg says.

A Cessna 441 Conquest had an engine issue and landed without incident. A fix was made, but that’s not the end of the story. A second incident occurred that revealed damage not initially discovered. The Flight Safety Detectives share major safety takeaways from this sequence of events.

The focus is on an Australian investigation of a 2021 incident. During some engine maintenance, two adjacent oil lines were transposed. The error was discovered when the engine did not operate properly in flight. A field repair was done, but a short time later there was another engine problem.

The transposed lines led to damage to the oil pump. Fortunately, neither engine incident caused an accident.

This incident would not have met the NTSB criteria for investigation, but the Australian ATSB did gather information and generate a report. That report highlights how seemingly small maintenance errors can cause larger problems.
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John Goglia, Todd Curtis, and Greg Feith review the findings. They go beyond the general recommendations made by the ATSB and discuss specific maintenance procedure changes that could improve aviation safety.

The Flight Safety Detectives examine the preliminary accident report from the fatal January 2023 Yeti air crash. They discuss professionalism and crew resource management as the central cause.

“Pilots needs to execute with purpose,” Greg Feith says. “That means that before you do or touch anything in the cockpit you have to be clear about your purpose.”

Greg, Todd Curtis, and John Goglia share possible reasons why the Yeti Airlines ATR 72 flight crew made fundamental errors that allowed the aircraft to stall and crash shortly before landing. For them, the Yeti air crash may become a great case study for the importance of paying attention and professionalism.

The flight crew included a captain getting familiarization training with a new airport and a training captain. John highlights the many tasks being covered by the training captain and makes a case for the need for a third crew member in the cockpit.
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The preliminary report shows that the training captain grabbed the wrong levers during approach. Neither pilot reacted well to the resulting flight issues. Human factors and poor communication are large contributors to the resulting crash.

The Flight safety Detectives talk about the challenges of keeping older airframes safe. Metal ages and fatigues. Maintenance records are less clear. The people with in-depth experience with these aircraft become scarce.

They talk about the many facets the FAA will need to consider as the agency reassesses the proper use of old war birds and other vintage airframes for non-commercial uses.
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They also discuss the acceptability of risks associated with airshow aircraft and firefighting aircraft.