 Todd Curtis and John Goglia discuss a fatal air tour helicopter crash near New York City that killed all six people on board, including a family of five from Spain. They examine several witness videos plus ADS-S data in their analysis.
The crash happened on April 10, 2025, three days before this episode was recorded. The flight was apparently routine until the helicopter suddenly rotated and crashed. Pieces of the aircraft, including the tail boom and the rotor blades, separated from the aircraft before it crashed into the Hudson River. Air tour operators are allowed to operate flights under Part 91 regulations, although the leasing company operated under Part 135 regulations that have a higher standard for inspections and maintenance. The aircraft was over 20 years old and leased from a company in Louisiana. The NTSB will likely interview anyone from the two companies involved with maintaining the aircraft. Given the circumstances of the crash, maintenance issues may have caused the accident. In addition to live lives lost, leading to concerns about the mental health effects this may have on those who maintained the helicopter. John has experienced incidents where maintainers may have harmed themselves because of their role in maintenance-related accidents.
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 The First State Chapter – PAMA is pleased to announce the offering of 3 Aviation Maintenance Scholarships from the John Serwinski Scholarship Fund. This scholarship is named after former Chapter Secretary and Delcastle Technical High School Aviation Shop Teacher John Serwinski who passed away several years ago.
The Chapter is taking applications for Three (3) $1000.00 scholarships to provide financial assistance to an aviation maintenance student who wishes to further his or her career at a College / University or Aviation Trade School in the aviation maintenance field. Application must be submitted by June 16, 2025. Please see the attached John Serwinski Scholarship Information and Application. This Application can also be found online at FirstStatePAMA.com in the very near future Contact First State Chapter PAMA President John Agnew at 302-983-0042 with questions. On April 10, PAMA recognized its 2025 scholarship award recipients during the award ceremony at the Aerospace Maintenance Council Competition Awards in Atlanta, GA. The award recipients are as follows:
Congratulations to all our award recipients and a thank you to our sponsors Piston Power, Inc and JSFirm.com. Visit the scholarship page for more information on the application deadline for 2026, and to contribute to the PAMA scholarship fund.  Sponsor JSFirm presents scholarship at Aerospace Maintenance Council Competition Awards Ceremony 🎶🔥 LIVE MUSIC ANNOUNCEMENT 🔥🎶
South Texas PAMA is bringing the party this year with Marshland Ranch performing live at our Crawfish Bash! If you didn’t know--Trey Louis from Marshland Ranch (yes, the guy from “The Fe” and American Idol) will be rocking the stage. RSVP by Clicking here!! Remember, this is a private event for aviation professionals and their families. 🎟️ Aviation Industry Only – Wristband Required 🌟 What: South Texas PAMA Crawfish Bash 📅 When: Saturday, May 3rd, 2025 🕚 Time: 11:00 am - 11:00 pm (All you can eat crawfish from 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm) 📍 Where: Mainland City Centre, 10000 Emmett F Lowry Expy, Texas City, TX 77591 🎉 Free entry, food, drinks & fun for aviation members and their families. Come hungry, come thirsty, and come ready to enjoy some amazing live Texas music! Let’s make this one to remember. See y’all there! flight safety detectives episode 265 - Inflight Icing Examined in Fatal TBM 700 Plane Crash4/14/2025  Inflight icing may have been a factor in the recent fatal crash of a TBM 700. Relying on publicly available ADS-B data and video from a nearby home, Todd Curtis, John Goglia, and Greg Feith discuss icing and other issues that may have affected the pilot and the aircraft.
The TBM 700, a single-engine turboprop aircraft, crashed outside of Minneapolis. The aircraft was expected to land at the Anoka County–Blaine Airport. The pilot, the sole occupant of the aircraft, had departed from Naples, Florida, earlier that day and spent about 36 minutes on the ground at Des Moines, Iowa, before heading to the Minneapolis area. The length of the flight day may have affected the pilot as well as the quality of the information the pilot had about weather conditions. The discussion analyzes the flight’s ADS-B data from the last leg of the flight, which shows that the aircraft was in a controlled descent heading for the intended runway. The aircraft entered a shallow left turn before departing from controlled flight and entering a high-angle descent before crashing into a nearby home. The high pilot workload during this phase of flight, the low visibility, and possible pilot fatigue or other physical conditions may have led to the pilot losing awareness of his air speed. Greg compares this event to the 1994 icing-related crash of an ATR 72 in Indiana and the SilkAir crash in Indonesia in 1997.  Captain Wayman Luy Sr. has been honored with both the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award and the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award, recognizing his remarkable 50+ year career in aviation.
The Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award is the FAA's most prestigious accolade for pilots, celebrating individuals who have demonstrated professionalism, skill, and aviation expertise for at least 50 years. Similarly, the Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award honors aviation mechanics with a half-century of dedicated service, named after the Wright brothers' mechanic, Charles Taylor, who was integral to the development of early aircraft. Captain Wayman’s journey began in the Peruvian Amazon, where he served as a bush pilot for Alas de Esperanza (Wings of Hope), flying to missions in the jungle and navigating challenging terrains. In 1987 he founded Wayman Aviation in Miami, Florida, starting as a maintenance shop and expanding into flight training by 1988. Over the years, the academy has trained thousands of pilots who now fly for major airlines worldwide, including JetBlue, LAN, American Airlines, and many more. 🎉✈️ Get Ready to Party at the South Texas PAMA Crawfish Bash! 🦞🎶
RSVP by clicking this link for wristbands for yourself or your company ASAP! Because the countdown to the 3rd annual South Texas PAMA Crawfish Bash has officially begun! 📅 Only 32 days left until we kick off a day filled with aviation celebration, networking, and a whole lot of fun! RSVP NOW!!!! 🎉 Who: FREE for all aviation professionals and families! 🌟 What: South Texas PAMA Crawfish Bash 📅 When: Saturday, May 3rd, 2025 🕚 Time: 11:00 am - 11:00 pm (All you can eat crawfish from 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm) 📍 Where: Mainland City Centre, 10000 Emmett F Lowry Expy, Texas City, TX 77591 This year's event promises to be bigger and better than ever before! And guess what? It's absolutely FREE for all aviation professionals! 🙌✈️ Join us for: 🦞 South Texas PAMA’s award-winning crawfish 🍹 Complimentary drinks 🎵 Live music 🎉 Loads of fun, games, and networking opportunities To secure the wristbands you need, RSVP HERE with the number of wristbands needed. Remember, wristbands must be picked up by Friday, May 2nd, at Galaxy FBO, 8912 Paul B. Koonce St. Houston, TX 77061. Come together to celebrate our aviation community and make this bash one for the books! 🎉✈️ See you all there! Kick Off The 2025 PAMA Golf Classic with STXBAA on April 14!
✈️✈️✈️ ⛳⛳⛳ Join STXBAA for an evening of networking, drinks, and great conversations as we welcome the 2025 South Texas PAMA Golf Classic participants! Date: Monday, April 14th, 2025 Time: 6:30 – 8:30 PM Location: Sam’s Boat – 3239 Silverlake Village Dr, Pearland, TX 77584 This is a great opportunity to connect with fellow aviation professionals before tournament day. We look forward to seeing you there! Contact Chad Tew at [email protected] for more information  The preliminary accident report on the February crash of the Endeavor Air CRJ-900 in Toronto, Canada has just been released. John Goglia, Todd Curtis and Greg Feith examine the facts provided as well as the gaps in information that still exist.
The reported descent rate at touchdown was very close to the descent rate the detectives estimated based on a screen grab taken from a witness video. While confirming some observations, the report is missing key information including the conversations on the cockpit voice recorder. About a month after the Toronto crash, another Endeavor CRJ-900 had a wingtip strike in similar wind conditions at LaGuardia airport. The similarities between the Toronto and LaGuardia incidents may direct investigators to look at the airline’s training. The preliminary report covers key aspects of the crew’s training and experience. The first officer was the pilot flying the flight and had fewer than 1,500 total flight hours. In the 30 days prior to the accident, the first officer had about 10 times as many flight hours as the captain. The report does detail the captain’s role in the Toronto crash. Was he performing duties typical of the non-flying pilot or coaching the first officer? Was he prepared to take control of the aircraft? Unlike the NTSB, the Canadian TSB may only publish a summary of the cockpit voice recorder conversations and not the full transcript. The person who recorded a video of the crash sequence from an aircraft close to the crash scene should submit that video to the TSB for use in the investigation. The video might help the investigation.  Flexjet, a global leader in private aviation, today announced that Master Technician, Ray Segarra, has received the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award, the highest honor available to an aviation mechanic.
Named for Charles Taylor, an early collaborator of the Wright Brothers who built the first aircraft engine and is recognized as the first aviation mechanic, the award was created by the FAA to honor the lifetime achievements of senior aviation mechanics. This prestigious award recognizes "the professionals who inspect, troubleshoot, maintain, and repair the engines, structure, and onboard systems of all types of aircraft." "Flexjet is honored to have Ray Segarra recognized by the Federal Aviation Administration for this prestigious accolade and he joins two others at Flexjet who were honored with this award," said Eli Flint, President of Flexjet's helicopter division. "Ray represents the dedication and skill of our entire team of mechanics at Flexjet, whose unwavering commitment ensures the safety of our aircraft, flight crews, and passengers every day." |
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