Greg Feith, John Goglia and Todd Curtis take you inside the critical first day of a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation. Using the recent runway collision at LaGuardia Airport as a case study, they break down the unique challenges investigators face from the moment an accident occurs.

You’ll hear how the NTSB “Go Team” mobilizes—often from different corners of the country—and what happens when key personnel are delayed. Greg shares insights from his experience as an Investigator in Charge (IIC), including supporting leadership on scene and preparing officials for high-stakes press briefings where every word matters.

Get insider insight that only Greg and John can provide:
⚠️Why public communication must be precise, fact-based, and carefully controlled
⚠️How early decisions determine which parties join the investigation
⚠️When and why an accident investigation can shift into a criminal case
⚠️The evolving roles of agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

Hear the behind-the-scenes information from TWA Flight 800 crash and the ValuJet Flight 592 crash that shows how complex, resource-intensive investigations uncover critical truths that aren’t always visible on day one.
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Whether you’re an aviation professional, safety enthusiast, or just curious about how major investigations unfold, this episode offers a rare, insider perspective.

We’re kicking off Q2 with some great momentum and an exciting update for our organization.

Following our recent elections, I’m proud to introduce your 2026 Board of Directors. This is a strong, diverse group of leaders from across our industry who are committed to continuing to grow our mission, expand opportunities, and support the aviation maintenance community here in South Texas.

2026 South Texas PAMA Board of Directors

President: Chad Tew – Wing Aviation
Vice President: Chad Sweppenhiser – Duncan Aviation
Treasurer: Jennifer Gamon – CAPS Aviation
Secretary: Lauren Woodrick – Elliott Aviation

Board Director: Norman Adkins – Wing Aviation
Board Director: Eric Ramsey – Higginbotham
Board Director: Pete Vandolzer – StandardAero
Board Director: Jedidiah Willa – Coastal Skies Aero Club
Board Director: Sugun Ratti – Torque Aero
Board Director: Fernanda Avila – WestStar

This group is stepping in with a clear focus: build on what we’ve created together and take it to the next level.

We’ve got a strong lineup of events ahead, and this is shaping up to be one of our best years yet:

Mark your calendars!!!
• Golf Classic – April 14 at Wildcat Golf Club
• Crawfish Bash & Family Day - May 30th at Bear Creek Park in Houston
• Maintenance Symposium – July in Conroe. Details coming soon.
• Annual Gala – our biggest night of the year, driving scholarships and support. November 21st at Ellington. 

Our goal remains simple and important: support the aviation maintenance workforce, create real opportunities, and continue building a community people want to be part of.

If you’ve been involved, thank you. If you haven’t yet, this is the year to jump in. Whether it’s attending events, sponsoring, volunteering, or bringing someone new into the organization, there’s a place for you here.

We’re just getting started.
 
Best Regards,
 
Chad M. Tew

Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania (2026) - JSfirm.com, the world’s largest resource for aviation jobs, continues to partner with the Aviation Technician Education Council (ATEC) to sponsor this year’s James Rardon Student of the Year and Ivan D. Livi Aviation Maintenance Educator of the Year.

Osmin Ramirez, an aviation maintenance educator at Universal Technical Institute, has been named the Ivan D. Livi Aviation Maintenance Educator of the Year for 2026. With over 8 years in both civilian and military aviation maintenance. Ramirez's technical training provided him with a deep understanding of aircraft systems, regulatory requirements, and real-world operational standards. One such initiative is restructuring traditional lecture formats into applied, scenario-based learning experiences that mirror actual aviation maintenance environments. Students trust Ramirez not only as an instructor but as a mentor who believes in their potential. His impact extends beyond grades, shaping confident, competent future aviation professionals.

​Micheal “Mike” McDaniel, a student at Alabama Aviation College, a unit of Enterprise State Community College, has been awarded the James Rardon Aviation Maintenance Technician Student of the Year for 2026. Mike is an exceptionally dedicated student, maintaining a 3.92 GPA and among the top of his class of 584 students in the AMT Program. Despite his busy schedule as a full-time truck driver, student, father, and husband, Mike travelled to another city during the Thanksgiving holiday to volunteer his time by serving meals to residents of the Ronald McDonald House. Mike has also volunteered his time after labs and between classes to maintain the college’s radial engine and rebuild the propellers on a Cessna airplane. Mike took a day off from his full-time job to help instructors move a Cessna from a dual-enrollment location to our college. ______________________________________________________________________   
JSfirm.com  JSfirm.com continues to be the world’s largest resource for aviation jobs with resume database access and has exclusively served the aviation industry for over 25 years. It is a free service for job seekers and an out-of-this-world place for aviation companies to post jobs and search resumes. Please contact us at 724-547-6203. _____________________________________________________________________

​PAMA is pleased to announce the 2026 Scholarship Winners:
 
Elliot Cramer has been selected to receive a $1,000 PAMA scholarship, courtesy of the Jack D. Prewitt Memorial Scholarship, provided by PistonPower™ by AEPC™. The announcement will be made during the Aerospace Maintenance Council Competition in Orlando in April.
 
Elliott is an aspiring aviation maintenance professional currently pursuing an Associate Degree and A&P certification at the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics. Driven by the belief that technical excellence is a moral obligation, he aims to build a methodical foundation in line or heavy maintenance with a major carrier like United Airlines. Looking forward, Elliott is dedicated to becoming a plane crash investigator, focusing on the intersection of human factors and mechanical systems to prevent future accidents. An active member of PAMA, AMFA, and the Aviation Council of Pennsylvania, he remains committed to the highest industry standards, integrity, and the lifelong pursuit of aviation safety.
 
Annabel Holmes has been selected to receive a $1,000 PAMA scholarship, courtesy of the Jack D. Prewitt Memorial Scholarship, provided by PistonPower™ by AEPC™. The announcement will be made during the Aerospace Maintenance Council Competition in Orlando in April. 

Annabel is an aspiring aircraft mechanic and pilot whose global upbringing inspired a lifelong commitment to aviation. Currently pursuing an A&P certificate at Greenville Technical College alongside her private pilot training, Annabel aims to merge technical maintenance expertise with flight proficiency to serve in high-impact fields such as aerial firefighting or humanitarian mission aviation in Africa and Brazil. Driven by the belief that aviation is a vital tool for supporting remote communities, she is dedicated to becoming a dual-certified professional capable of ensuring safety and reliability in the world’s most isolated environments.
 
Ivan Moon has been selected to receive a $1,500 PAMA scholarship, courtesy of JSFirm.com. The announcement will also be made during the Aerospace Maintenance Council Competition Award Ceremony on April 23 in Orlando, FL. 

A decorated veteran with 27 years of service, Ivan is an expert rotorcraft technician with five combat deployments maintaining AH-64 Apache, CH-47 Chinook, and UH-60 Black Hawk fleets. Inspired by his father’s naval career, he has built a legacy of technical excellence, recently graduating with honors from Eastern New Mexico University–Roswell and earning his FAA Inspection Authorization. As he transitions toward a civilian career, he is pursuing a Bachelor’s in Aviation Maintenance Management with the goal of joining Air Methods. His extensive experience in high-stakes environments and his commitment to emergency air medical services reflect a lifelong dedication to aviation safety and community service.
 

This recording of a Flight Safety Detectives livestream was recorded soon after the fatal collision between an Air Canada plane and a fire truck at New York’s LaGuardia Airport on March 22.

Greg Feith, Todd Curtis and John Goglia discuss the early facts related to the crash and compare the event to incidents they have investigated in their past roles with the NTSB and accident investigation.

The comparisons to the deadly crash near Reagan National Airport are striking. They look at recent developments that are politicizing the NTSB and how that may be impacting aviation safety.

The very system designed to save lives in the air becomes a hidden danger on the ground. Todd and John break down a January 2026 NTSB safety alert warning first responders about the risks posed by Ballistic Recovery Systems (BRS) after an aircraft accident.

While BRS have saved countless lives by deploying parachutes in emergencies, the explosive activation system can be dangerous after a crash. Hear about three real-world incidents where first responders were put at risk—either because they didn’t know a BRS was installed or didn’t fully understand the danger.

As these systems become more common across a wider range of small aircraft, the risk is growing and awareness isn’t keeping up.

In one chilling case, a crashed aircraft caught fire and the BRS deployed while first responders were standing nearby. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but the close call underscores a critical lesson.
This discussion is a must-watch for first responders, pilots, and even Good Samaritans who may rush in to help after a plane crash.
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👉 Key topics covered:

• How BRS works and why it remains dangerous after impact
• Real incidents that prompted the NTSB safety alert
• Why warning placards and awareness are often lacking
• The risks to first responders and bystanders
• What to look for before approaching a downed aircraft

​Stay informed. Stay aware. It could save your life.

Developing: a routine training flight in March turned into a fight for survival.

When a student pilot and instructor flying a Cessna 172 lost engine power over New York’s Hudson River, they were forced to make a split-second decision: attempt to get to Stewart International Airport near the United States Military Academy at West Point or put the aircraft down somewhere else.
About five miles short of the airport, the crew realized they wouldn’t make it back. They decided to ditch onto a patch of ice in the river at night.

Miraculously, both the student and instructor survived the crash and were able to swim to shore. The incident raises several important questions about training flights, decision-making, and risk management.

In this episode, the Flight Safety Detectives break down the developing story and examine key issues the National Transportation Safety Board will likely investigate, including:

​✈️ What kind of preflight planning was done before the flight?
✈️ What caused the engine power loss?
✈️ Why was this route along the Hudson chosen for a night training flight?
✈️ Was this route part of the flight school’s curriculum?
✈️ When — or if — control transferred from the student to the instructor?

Even though no one was seriously injured, this close call highlights a critical aviation lesson: decisions made before and during a flight can determine the outcome when something goes wrong.
The Flight Safety Detectives analyze the situation, explore the risks of night training over challenging terrain, and discuss what pilots and instructors everywhere can learn from this incident.

What really happens in the hours and days after a major aviation accident and who controls the story?
Todd Curtis and John Goglia discuss the issues and suffering creating when people speculate after a plane crash. To illustrate the point, they focus on a 2003 Charlotte, North Carolina Beech 1900 plane crash that drew intense national media attention.

John led the NTSB field investigation, navigating not only a complex accident scene but also a storm of media speculation and aviation “experts” offering opinions long before the facts were known.
John shares the inside story of several controversial decisions he made during the investigation. The airline was allowed to put out their own information. Also, raw flight recorder data was released to counter widespread misinformation.

The accident itself involved a troubling chain of events:

• An aircraft that had just come out of maintenance with improperly repaired flight controls
• A flight that was overloaded and out of balance
• A crew that found themselves unable to prevent a stall shortly after takeoff

Todd and John explore the human impact on maintenance personnel whose work may have played a role. They discuss how the aviation industry has evolved to provide psychological support and employee assistance. Gaps still exist, especially when maintenance work is outsourced to third-party providers around the world.
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If you’re interested in aviation safety, accident investigations, and the human side of aviation, this episode offers a rare insider perspective.

Flight Safety Detectives go live to answer your aviation safety questions!

This month, Greg Feith, Todd Curtis and John Goglia answer questions about TWA Flight 800, the recent Bangor plane crash, and the influence (or lack thereof) of corporate media on NTSB findings and decisions.
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Flight Safety Detectives answer questions from the audience the 4th Monday of each month. Send yours in to [email protected].