​The NTSB is still not doing onsite accident investigations. A pilot landing in Colorado decides to ignore the rules. Long-term health impacts of COVID could impact pilots, mechanics and flight attendants. Greg and John focus on these topics in their latest episode.

A recent accident in Buffalo prompted two senators to write a letter to the NTSB asking for an onsite investigation. The Board responded that they are not visiting accident scenes and deferred to the FAA for on-scene information gathering.

Greg and John continue to call on the NTSB to do its mandated job. They discuss the impact on aviation safety now and into the future.
This episode also analyzes a midair collision involving a Beech A36 Bonanza and a Robinson R44 Raven II in 2018 at Northern Colorado Regional Airport. The Beech pilot chose to set aside the rules and flew over the Robinson with disastrous results.

They wrap up with a discussion of COVID. People with even minor cases are reporting loss of taste and brain fog. Sense of smell is important to just about every aviation role on the ground and in the air. Clear thinking and decision-making are just as important.

​ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Former U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) member, airline maintenance professional and long-time safety advocate John Goglia is the 2020 recipient of the Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award. Goglia was presented the award virtually on Thursday as part of Flight Safety Foundation’s 73rd annual International Air Safety Summit (IASS).

Also during the special presentation, former Foundation President and CEO Sir Stuart Matthews was recognized with an honorary Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award for his significant and enduring contributions to aviation safety.

Goglia, who has decades of experience in the aviation industry, was the first, and to date the only, airframe and powerplant mechanic appointed to the NTSB. He served on the Board from August 1995 to June 2004.

Before joining the NTSB, Goglia worked as an airline mechanic, was a union flight safety representative on accident investigation teams and operated his own aircraft service company. While on the Board, he was recognized for his interest in airport safety improvement in fire and rescue operations. He also was an advocate of the need to focus attention on the significance of maintenance as a factor in accidents and for greater compassion in dealing with the families and friends of accident victims. Since leaving the Board, he has been a teacher, researcher, consultant, author and mentor.

Matthews, who earned his pilot license at age 17, retired as president and CEO of the Foundation in 2006 after serving in those positions since 1994. He had previously been a member of the FSF Board of Governors since 1989 and chairman of the Board since 1991.

Upon his retirement, he received the 2006 International Federation of Airworthiness Whittle Award, named for the inventor of the turbo jet engine, and the Aero-Club of France’s Grande Médaille d’Or.

The Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award, which has been presented annually at IASS since 1956, recognizes and celebrates original and remarkable worldwide contributions ─ in method, design, invention, study or other advancement ─ in the field of aviation safety, be it civil or military.

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About Flight Safety Foundation
Flight Safety Foundation is an independent, nonprofit, international organization engaged in research, education, advocacy and communications to improve aviation safety. The Foundation’s mission is to connect, influence and lead global aviation safety.

Media Contact:
Frank Jackman
Vice President, Communications
+1 703.739.6700, ext. 116
jackman@flightsafety.org

​The Association for Women in Aviation Maintenance is excited to be accepting applications for the 2021 AWAM scholarship season for two more weeks. The full scholarship flyer and application link can be found online at www.awam.org/scholarships.

If you have any questions please email scholarships@awam.org.

​The NTSB is considered a non-essential service and on-site accident investigations have been suspended during COVID-19. With no one on site to gather facts and evidence, John and Greg ask if the NTSB is needed anymore.

Even before the pandemic, the agency had an increasing case backlog. Reports that have been issued recently are incomplete and offer scant safety insight.

John and Greg find the recent NTSB reports inadequate to identify risks and determine effective mitigation. The reports lack the evidence to support the stated probable causes and offer little safety insight.

As John and Greg celebrate the one-year anniversary of Flight Safety Detectives, they use their straight-talking platform to call out the agency they have both proudly served for failing to do its job.

Greg and John examine the transcript of the cockpit voice recorder from American Flight 1420, a MD-80 that crashed at Little Rock Airport in 1999. Greg served as the NTSB investigator in charge (IIC) and John was part of the headquarters support team.

The 30-min recording reveals the pilots were racing the weather as well as fatigue from a long workday. John and Greg walk through the conversation reflected in the recording, highlighting how different decisions could have changed the deadly outcome.

They offer insights beyond the words of the transcript. What isn’t said and done is as compelling as what is documented in the CVR.

Greg and John discuss the process of looking at the aftermath to determine the cause and what could be learned. Findings led to checklist and operational procedures changes as well as configuration updates at the Little Rock airport.

​Assumptions and expectations in all roles in aviation often lead to the most serious accidents. John and Greg share anecdotes that illustrate the point.

This is a trying time for air travel and air safety. Greg and John are frustrated by the growing number of accidents that are not being investigated by either the NTSB or FAA. They wonder out loud why investigators, who have ample biohazard training, are not able to visit accident scenes to do their job?

Special focus is on American Flight 1420, a MD-80 that crashed at Little Rock Airport in 1999. Greg served as the NTSB investigator in charge (IIC) and John was part of the headquarters support team.

Listen to this wind up to Episode 41, which will dissect the cockpit voice recorder recovered from the Flight 1420 crash site.

John and Greg often make the point that flight safety involves both hangar and cockpit. This episode illustrates the point.

They walk through an accident involving a Cessna 177 Cardinal. The plane was in for annual maintenance. Although the mechanic had signed off in the logbook, the final run up was not completed before the pilot retrieved the plane.

The plane crashed shortly after takeoff. The investigation found no oil left in the engine. A loose oil cooler line suspected.

John and Greg highlight the need for mechanic and pilot to share information. Each individually has due diligence responsibilities as well as a shared responsibility to communicate.

This episode includes a big announcement. Avemco Insurance Company has joined the Flight Safety Detectives team as a primary sponsor!

​When a Piper Aerostar collided in mid-air with a Bell 412 helicopter over an elementary school in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, in 1991 Greg Feith was among the first investigators on the scene. Greg and John revisit the investigation to highlight NTSB findings that are relevant for pilots today.

The accident started the NTSB discussion and definition of aeronautical decision making. ADM is an important component of safe flying, in the cockpit and the hangar.

In the 1991 accident, five people in both aircraft were killed, including United States Senator John Heinz. Two school children on the ground were also killed by falling debris. More people on the ground were injured.

Greg describes the heartbreaking scene as well as the challenges of recovering evidence from a large debris field. Calling this a tragic event resulting from a “series of simple errors,” Greg talks about the role of crew experience, pilot communication and other notable factors.

​The cockpit voice recorder is called the “electronic witness” by crash investigators. In this episode, John and Greg walk through the CVR recovered during the investigation of ValuJet Flight 592 that crashed in the Everglades.

The CVR captures conversations. It also documents ambient noises that offer clues, especially when aligned with information from the flight data recorder.

Greg and John offer insight into what was learned from the CVR. Routine discussions quickly changed with the call of “fire” at 14:10. The recording shows rapid-fire issues unfolding. It chillingly shows that all on board seem to have succumbed to smoke asphyxiation before the plane crashed.

This second-by-second analysis expands on Episode 30 addressing listener questions and interest in detailed CVR analysis.

A panel discussion from the campus of Vaughn College explores many aspects of a successful career in aviation. From formal education to soft skills, Greg, John and their guests explore the factors that lead to success.

Students discuss their plans and the options they are exploring to start their careers. Also featured are professor Capt. Emerson Allen, experienced pilot Capt. Chinar Shaw, and management department chair Dr. Maxine Lubner.

Highlights:

• Training options and career paths
• The role of women in all aspects of aviation
• Importance of communication and management skills
• Passion as a key trait

​Listen as panel members share their first-hand experiences and field questions from students.

Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology is a private college in East Elmhurst, New York, specialized in aviation and engineering education. John serves as an instructor in the management program. This episode was recorded prior to the COVID-19 outbreak in the US.