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In March, a Mooney airplane door opened in flight, causing a loss of control and two fatalities. Todd and John examine this incident and three other Mooney events. Instead of a fault with Mooney aircraft, they find a pattern of very experienced pilots having issues and crashing when a passenger or baggage door opens in flight.
Doors open in flight often. The outcome depends on pilot action. The pilot in the most recent crash had commercial and instrument ratings and nearly 800 hours of experience. Besides the door opening in flight, the NTSB found no other issues with the aircraft. The door alone should not have caused the plane crash. In the earlier cases they discuss, all the pilots had at least a hundred hours of flight experience and there were no issues with the aircraft other than the doors opening in flight. One of those accidents had an instructor pilot on board, and between the student and instructor, they had over 9,000 hours of flight experience. Todd shares an early similar flight experience when an oil access door came open during the takeoff roll. He aborted the takeoff. His current process during his flight training focuses on flying the aircraft and assessing the situation before taking any other action.
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Get the highlights of the Experimental Aircraft Association’s AirVenture 2024 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin! Hundreds of thousands of attendees attended the multi-day event. All sectors of aviation were represented, from the military to general aviation, from exotic and experimental aircraft to flight demonstrations by military and civilian aircraft. John Goglia attended once again this year and chatted with pilots, mechanics, elected officials, and aviation enthusiasts of every age. He met several people who regularly listen to the podcast, including some who offered ideas for future shows. AirVenture is a unique airshow experience, but there are opportunities to visit other airshows around the country. Many local airports also offer opportunities for the general public, to see airplanes up close and speak to local pilots, flight schools, and others involved in aviation. What led to the deadly crash of a Voepass Linhas Aereas in August? Video of the flight’s final moments shows the aircraft rapidly descending in a flat spin. Early reports on the accident mention that icing conditions were present in the area at the time of the crash.
Recovering from a spin in a large airliner is a significant challenge for pilots. Understanding how to avoid situations that lead to stalls and spins is the best way to avoid these tragedies. Flight training typically does not require pilots to experience actual spins. Even full-motion simulators do not provide the full range of physical experience on an actual airplane. Pilots need to understand their aircraft’s stall and spin characteristics and the situations that make an aircraft’s wings more prone to stalling. John Goglia shares his experience as an NTSB Board member investigating a 1994 icing-related crash of an ATR72. That investigation included an FAA test involving another ATR72 in controlled icing conditions, which revealed that certain icing conditions could result in icing that the ATR72’s deicing system could not control. Todd Curtis and John also delve into an incident at Boston Logan Airport where the pilot of a Brazil-registered Embraer Phenom 300E who had difficulties communicating with an air traffic controller. The pilot could not follow several ATC requests, resulting in altitude and speed deviations during a landing approach. English is the language used by ATC at international airports, but pilots from countries where English is not the language used to communicate can have difficulties. The English used for air traffic control is not the same English used in normal conversations. Even native English speakers have challenges when communicating with ATC, particularly those performing a single-pilot IFR flight. NASA’s Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) can be used by pilots, mechanics, flight attendants, and others in the aviation safety community to report UAP or UFO encounters without revealing their identity or the identity of their employers.
Todd Curtis discussed this in a June 2024 presentation at the Contact in the Desert Conference in Palm Springs, California. In this episode, he and John Goglia dig deeper into the issue of reporting of these encounters in the aviation community. While neither of them has seen an incident report that mentioned a UFO or UAP, that it does not mean that they have never happened. Based on his experience in both industry and academia, Curtis believes that if he had come across this kind of information, he would not have included that fact in any report because it would not have been well received by his colleagues. UAP and UFOs are legitimate risk concerns, but civilian organizations like the FAA have not formally started to collect this kind of data. Todd and John share the factors that they think are barriers to such data collection. NASA’s ASRS database already has at least 13 UAP events, each involving an unidentified phenomenon, an aerospace vehicle with unconventional capabilities, or a conventional aerospace vehicle in an unconventional location or situation. Todd and John discuss the most unusual report, involving an aerospace vehicle that was too small to carry a pilot and that exhibited extraordinary speed and maneuverability. Anyone with an aviation-related UAP encounter should submit a report to the ASRS to help the aviation community better understand UAP risks. Issues from the NTSB investigation of a 2023 railroad accident are used to discuss the voluntary party system. The system is designed to encourage cooperative efforts in an investigation, which does not always work.
In the party system, an organization or an individual with relevant expertise or information is invited to participate directly in an NTSB investigation. These parties are required to follow basic rules. They are expected to provide the NTSB information or expertise that helps the investigation and limit discussing details with the media and others not involved in the investigation. In the NTSB investigation of a 2023 rail accident involving a Norfolk Southern train in Ohio, Norfolk Southern was a designated party. Late in the investigation, Norfolk Southern submitted information that the NTSB rejected because of how and when it was submitted. Based on statements in the final report and in the public docket, Norfolk Southern did not operate properly as a party to the investigation. They conducted an independent investigation and held information that should have been given to the NTSB. Should inappropriately late submissions be included in an NTSB investigation? The NTSB did not state if this late submission had critical information. Greg Feith and John Goglia favor analyzing all information to determine whether it helps the investigation. Get Involved! Start a PAMA Chapter!
Since 1972, PAMA has been dedicated to promoting professionalism and recognition of the aviation maintenance technician through communication, education, representation and support—for continuous improvement in aviation safety. PAMA effectively brings together maintenance technicians, manufacturers, suppliers, educators and students in successful pursuit of their goals in the aviation industry. PAMA currently has several chapters and is looking to expand. A local PAMA Chapter is a resource for networking, training, education, developing professional opportunities, legislative representation on Federal/State/Local matters, and works closely with suppliers and distributors to strengthen our industry. Members share information and learn from each other’s experiences. Start a chapter:
PAMA provides the following resources to assist in establishing a chapter in your area:
Check out more information on the PAMA chapters page or email us at [email protected]. Sang-A Lee, a Ph.D. student and Dr. Truongat at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University are conducting a study to better understand the safety culture experienced by Aviation Maintenance Technicians (AMTs) for Part 121 carriers in the United States.
Understanding Safety Culture for AMTs Current research highlights the significance of safety culture for AMTs, yet there remains a gap in comprehending the two distinct facets that influence it: 1. Maintenance-Based Aviation Safety: Ensuring aircraft are free from maintenance-based errors that may lead to accidents or incidents. 2. Maintenance Occupational Safety: Focusing on the health and safety of AMTs, addressing various occupational risks, including injuries, slips, and falls. They are aiming to develop an aviation maintenance safety culture framework encompassing both aspects. If you're interested in assisting, find the study details below. Study Details Time: Approximately 10 to 15 minutes Compensation: $10 per person (offered as gift cards of their choice) Method: Anonymous and confidential online survey Survey: https://erau.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0GPWsCERfS1GXGe A YouTube video showing fireworks fired from a low-flying helicopter at a speeding Lamborghini has led to federal charges for the creator. Suk Min Choi was charged in June by the U.S. Department of Justice with one count of causing the placement of an explosive or incendiary device on an aircraft. At least four other people were involved, including two or three people in an apparent Robinson R44 helicopter and the drivers of two vehicles. Replicating a sequence from a video game, Choi presses a “fire missiles” button while people in the helicopter shoot fireworks at the Lamborghini. In the video posted to YouTube, it appeared that there were cameras in the helicopter, the Lamborghini, and a second vehicle on the ground. In addition to law-breaking activities, this event has scary aviation safety risks. The helicopter pilot may have violated one or more FAA regulations concerning flying for commercial purposes. And, the helicopter was clearly flown in a hazardous manner. The pilot may have problems finding employment if their involvement becomes public. Even stunts in the air need to follow appropriate laws, regulations, and safety procedures and should be done after consulting with partners like insurance providers, the FAA, and other appropriate authorities. A fatal midair collision involving a Cessna 172 illustrates several aviation safety concerns related to pilot training in and around airports with commercial operations. The incident involved a student and instructor on board performing touch-and-go landings and a Dash 8 departing on a passenger flight. While the event happened in Kenya, the circumstances that led to this accident could happen in any location where airliners and small training aircraft operate out of the same airport. In this case, the midair collision occurred only about 500 feet above the ground and 1500 feet below a broken cloud layer in an area with over 10 km of visibility. The Cessna 172 was performing touch-and-go landings on from one of the airport’s runways. Shortly after the Dash 8 departed from an intersecting runway, the stabilizer of the airliner collided with the Cessna. The Cessna crashed, killing both on board. Todd Curtis and John Goglia analyze the preliminary report, which came out three months after the accident. They examine the transcript of ATC communications around the time of the accident. Anyone who operates aircraft in similar circumstances could learn something useful from studying this event. Immediately after the collision, the transcript of the ATC communications stated that during 97 seconds, there was “unrelated transmission from other traffic.” Any transmissions to or from aircraft near the collision could provide useful clues into what was known or not known by ATC and aircraft crews in the vicinity. Boeing should use a third-party organization that would act on behalf of the FAA to monitor the design and production of its aircraft. That’s the proposal of special guest and Kilroy Aviation CEO Mike Borfitz published in a June 28, 2024 editorial in Aviation Daily.
This kind of oversight had been provided in the past by Boeing employees who acted as the eyes and ears of the FAA. The process is based on FAA regulations created in 2005 that allowed manufacturers to create Organization Designation Authorizations (ODAs), groups of employees who were paid by the manufacturer and who worked for the FAA. The effectiveness of this organizational setup for Boeing was questioned in the wake of the 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019. Borfitz’s proposal would address the weaknesses of the previous setup by having a third-party organization outside of Boeing’s control act as Boeing’s ODA. This would make it more likely that concerning issues would be brought to the attention of the FAA. This episode includes a wide-ranging discussion of how aircraft are certified to FAA standards. Todd Curtis and Borfitz, both of whom worked for Boeing when the company merged with McDonnell Douglas, relate that the merger led high-level Boeing managers to focus more on shareholder value. Borfitz expresses his belief that the current Department of Justice sanctions against Boeing that require an independent monitor to oversee compliance and safety for three years would be ineffective because it allows Boeing to return to its previous management policies in three years. |
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