Flight Safety Detectives

Guest Jason Lukasik, president of JL2 Aviation Consultants and former FAA inspector, walks John and Greg through the recent Airworthiness Directive related to PA 28 Series planes. Jason shares his firsthand experience encountering dramatic corrosion on Piper wing spars. Don’t miss what’s to come from the Flight Safety Detectives - subscribe to the  Flight Safety Detectives YouTube channel , l...

Episode 49 Special guest is Dr Chuck Dennison , forensic and aviation psychologist, who specializes in neuropsychological evaluations for the FAA. He talks about how he tests cognitive function to ensure pilots have the mental acuity to fly safely. Greg and John explore the many conditions that can trigger the need for assessment such as head injury, substance abuse issues, and conditions such as...

John and Greg kick off this episode with a new segment – WTF. They talk about several recent accident reports that identify unbelievable neglect of basic safety procedures. “Stupid or not stupid, all these accidents take a toll on investigators and the people left behind,” John comments. The detectives plan future WTF segments to highlight the things that can and will happen when safety procedures...

Episode 47 Jump in for a deep dive into emergency response in aviation. All sectors of the industry need to plan and prepare for emergency scenarios like crashes and much more. Special guest is Mark Dombroff, partner in the Northern Virginia office of Fox Rothschild and co-chair of the firm’s aviation practice. The conversation covers what goes into an effective emergency response and the importan...

Episode 46 Prop strikes are pretty common. Even seemingly minor nicks and gouges can lead to major safety issues. John and Greg focus on propellers as the “ugly stepsisters” of aircraft maintenance. They dive into an accident involving a LancAir 4P caused when a damaged prop lead to engine failure. In his years of service as a mechanic, John has seen plenty of engine damage caused by prop strikes....

Episode 45 Weather caused Flight 4182 to be in a holding pattern to land on October 31, 1994. Weather also triggered a fateful series of events that led to the loss of the aircraft and 68 lives. John and Greg offer a minute by minute analysis of the cockpit voice recorder. They believe this was the event that woke the industry up to the effects of icing on aircraft. The NTSB accident report focuse...

Episode 44 This episode starts when Greg got the call about the tragic crash of American Eagle Flight 4184. He walks through the first week of responding to the accident scene as the NTSB Investigator in Charge. Insights: First crash site where NTSB biohazard protocols were applied How “why” questions lead to thorough on-scene information gathering Roles of the various teams and parties involved i...

Episode 43 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...

Episode 42 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 f...

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...

Episode 40 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 bioha...

Episode 39 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 tak...

Episode 38 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 mak...

Episode 37 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 an...

Episode 36 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 Sh...

Episode 35 The Cessna P210N crash near Detroit, Michigan gets a close look in this episode. The National Transportation Safety Board recently released the accident final report and Greg and John layer on their analysis of the facts. On June 24, 2018 the accident led to the death of the pilot and his wife and serious injury to a 17-year-old son. While the NTSB report largely attributes the crash to...

Episode 34 Air safety does not begin and end with pilots. It is impacted by everyone who has a role with a plane, including maintenance personnel. Flight Safety Detectives Greg Feith and John Goglia call for higher standards to be applied to all personnel whose jobs impact aviation safety. The Pilot Records Improvement Act of 1996 (PRIA) requires that air carriers evaluate information about each p...

Episode 33 Flight Safety Detectives listeners ask for insider details and John and Greg deliver! A theme in this wide-ranging discussion of questions received is the importance of discipline. A listener asked for the backstory in the NTSB investigation of Eastern Airlines Flight 980. Greg shares the details of the Jan. 1, 1985 crash and the 10 months of effort that led to him climbing a mountain i...

Episode 32 Instructions on how to use the oxygen mask is a mainstay of the airline safety briefing. With passengers now required to wear masks, does the mask go over the mask? The tried and true safety briefing needs to be revamped in light of COVID-19 prevention measures. Greg Feith and John Goglia look at standard safety protocols that are disrupted by COVID-19 precautions. They talk about what...

Episode 31 Greg and John are torqued! Too many accidents, too much pilot error and too little attention to safety lessons learned. Greg and John are not happy with the state of the industry and propose that manufacturers step in to make sure aircraft don’t wind up in the hands of airlines and pilots not equipped to operate safely. It is time to put safety over profits. This episode covers recent a...

Episode 30 Greg Feith takes us inside his experience as the NTSB investigator in charge (IIC) of the ValuJet Flight 592 investigation. John Goglia was also involved. Together they talk through the launch of that investigation and share many behind-the-scenes experiences. Creative procurement of resources needed A rental car that rolled into the water 3 am recovery of a wreckage “souvenir” at the h...

Episode 29 Flight Safety Detectives Greg Feith and John Goglia look at the many costs associated with flight safety. Costs include dollars and lives. July is proving to be a deadly month in the skies. In the first 7 days there were 7 fatal accidents, several with multiple fatalities. As investigations begin, John and Greg look at common potential factors like weather, mechanical issues, fuel suppl...

Episode 28 Flight Safety Detectives Greg Feith and John Goglia answer listener questions in this lively episode that shares details of air crash investigations. Get a rare look inside the NTSB command center and on-scene investigations. The NTSB bell rings signaling an air crash. What’s next? How does a systemic investigation happen amid the chaos of an accident scene? What are the qualifications...

Episode 27 Air crash investigators Greg Feith and John Goglia have seen too often that the safety of general aviation aircraft can be compromised by lack of maintenance. Their special guest this week has an hourly cost maintenance program to address that. PistonPower™ is a comprehensive protection program for piston aircraft. Guest Remi Szymanski, Vice President for Business Development, discusses...

Episode 26 Flight Safety Detectives Greg Feith and John Goglia tap their network of aviation experts in this episode that focuses on pilots. Brian Schiff, a pilot with more than 40 years of experience in the cockpit, is the special guest. Schiff is a commercial pilot and flight instructor who is recognized for his enthusiasm and ability to teach in way that simplifies complex procedures and concep...