Flight Safety Detectives

A routine flight turned into a tragedy that raises difficult questions about pilot decision-making, flight school oversight, and the risks of night flying. In this episode of Flight Safety Detectives, Greg Feith, John Goglia, and Todd Curtis examine the fatal June 2026 crash that claimed the life of a newly certificated private pilot and two passengers. Using available ADS-B flight data and their...

John Goglia and Todd Curtis went live on June 22 to answer listener questions and give to-the-moment updates on several recent aviation safety events. They cover several recent misadventures: A near miss at Boston’s Logan airport involving American Airlines and Delta aircraft. A skydiving crash in Missouri The crash of a NetJets Cessna 688 that was flying to Auston Texas John and Todd offer the kn...

What can NASA safety reports tell us about the state of aviation after the pandemic? In this episode of Flight Safety Detectives, former NTSB Board Member John Goglia and aviation safety analyst Todd Curtis dive into recent trends in NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS), examining how reporting levels for Part 121 and Part 135 operators changed during and after the pandemic. John and Tod...

John Goglia and Todd Curtis examine an all-too-common aviation incident: fuel exhaustion.  Two pilots recently took off on a training flight that would start after midnight and end before dawn. They planned 10 takeoffs and landings at a towered airport, a 100-nautical-mile cross-country flight, refueling, and waiting until sunrise to practice additional maneuvers.  Unfortunately, they ran out of f...

Todd Curtis and John Goglia share their real time research into unapproved parts in aviation. They use the NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) database to do their research.  See what they uncover as they investigate unapproved parts in aviation. They search reports from 1995 and later years to find instances of suspected unapproved or counterfeit parts.  Most of the five cases they dive...

Can artificial intelligence (AI) make aviation safer? In this episode, Todd Curtis and John Goglia explore ways that AI tools are being used to analyze safety data, identify trends, and improve communication across the aviation industry. Todd shares a project that uses the AI platform Claude along with reports from NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) database to create a customized safe...

New York City eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft test flights and global commercialization efforts are making headlines. Special guest Mike Borfitz, CEO of Kilroy Aviation and a safety certification engineer with more than 40 years of experience, explores critical technical challenges including battery limitations and software integration.  Mike, Todd Curtis, and John Goglia ad...

Todd Curtis and John Goglia discuss the details in the NTSB preliminary accident report about the March 22, 2026 fatal collision between an Air Canada Jazz regional jet and a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport. The preliminary report offers a detailed timeline of the key events in the minutes before the accident.  The airliner struck a fire truck that was leading six other emergency vehicles across a...

In this recording of April’s livestream, Todd Curtis and John Goglia focus on all things related to aviation mechanics. John and Todd just completed their participation at the latest AMC MRO maintenance competition and they share the unique perspectives on the past, present and future of A&P mechanics. 👉 Hear what more than 500 competitors from across the globe achieved at the 2026 Aerospace Main...

Todd Curtis and John Goglia did some digging beyond the official investigation of the tragic March 22, 2026 collision at LaGuardia Airport involving an Air Canada regional jet and an airport fire truck operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. This incident raises serious questions about airport ground safety—and what they have found may surprise you. John digs into critical facto...

Controversial proposed landing fee increases at two airports in Mesa, Arizona could have ripple effects nationwide as more airports adopt user fees. What may look like a routine pricing update could significantly impact flight schools, student pilots, and the overall pilot training environment. John Goglia, Greg Feith and Todd Curtis dive into a critical safety concern. As costs rise, pilots may s...

The aviation industry is facing a critical challenge—the growing shortage of aviation mechanics. Todd Curtis and John Goglia break down what’s driving it and why it matters now more than ever.  From an aging workforce to surging global demand for air travel, the need for skilled technicians is reshaping the future of aviation careers. Go inside the high-energy Aerospace Maintenance Competition (AM...

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...

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...

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....

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...

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, naviga...

Recording of the monthly livestream!  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.  Flight Safety Detectives answer questions from the audience the 4th Monday of...

Take a deep dive into the iconic air traffic control scene from Close Encounters of the Third Kind. What host Todd Curtis uncovers might surprise you. Revisiting the tense near–midair collision sequence, Todd analyzes how accurately the film portrayed the real-world challenges pilots and controllers faced in the 1970s when reporting UFOs (now known as UAPs). As shown in the scene, two separate air...

The NTSB report of a fatal Piper Navajo crash in Medford, Oregon in December 2021 leaves important aviation safety questions unanswered. This fatal crash is attributed to spatial disorientation but facts available lead to serious questions about the fuel tanks and more.  The pilot had flown from his home in Nevada to Medford but had to have the fuel system repaired. Days later when the repairs wer...

This episode looks at two aviation accident investigations that were highly complex for very different reasons. One is the well-known TWA Flight 800 investigation where John Goglia and Todd Curtis were both directly involved. The other is a lesser-known 2002 crash of a Cessna 208B aircraft that is the subject of a book by author Leslie Kean. John and Todd review the crash of TWA Flight 800, an inv...

In a live episode for members recorded on Jan 26, John Goglia and Greg Feith offer their first findings related to Sunday's crash a Bombardier Challenger 600.  Both are familiar with the plane and share the issues that need investigating and the steps the NTSB is likely to take on scene. Investigators need to talk to people present that day and learn what happened leading up to the flight.  They a...

FAA data shows a steady decrease in U.S. accident rates for general aviation in recent years. But the data may not show an accurate story. Todd Curtis and John Goglia take a deeper dive into the data. Comparing the FAA rates to a NTSB table listing accidents in general aviation shows that the NTSB data implies that general aviation aircraft crashed roughly 50 times more frequently than airlines an...

A just-issued NTSB advisory warns operators of several Hawker jet models of a dangerous stall tendency not adequately explained in the aircraft's documentation. Todd Curtis and John Goglia share important background and details. The advisory was issued based on findings from two fatal Hawker jet crashes, one in 2024 and the other in 2025. Both occurred during post-maintenance flights to test the s...

In a December livestream event Todd Curtis and John Goglia tackled listener questions. Listen as they take a deeper dive into some of aviation safety’s most important topics: TWA 800 investigation – was it a coverup? Getting NTSB reps on the show to discuss investigations Taxiway issues How the media affects air crash investigations Updates on the Louisville crash Listen and get updated on these t...