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 ..read more

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 th ..read more

Hypoxia is a significant danger in aviation and an insidious killer of passengers and pilots. Special guest Miles O'Brien hosts a discussion with aviation experts Todd Curtis, Greg Feith, and John Goglia that covers how hypoxia impacts all forms of aviation. They discuss personal experiences with hypoxia and share insights from several hypoxia-related accidents. Hypoxia is a condition where the human body is deprived of oxygen which can reduce mental function. Hypoxia can be particularly hazardous for pilots because someone experiencing hypoxia may not be aware of its symptoms or its effects o ..read more

As Boeing continues to be the subject of investigations and congressional hearings the concept of criminalization has come to the forefront. This could have a devastating impact on aviation safety in the U.S. Special guest and aviation attorney Mark Dombroff focuses on efforts to criminalize the investigation of aviation accidents and incidents.  The effort to use criminal prosecutions to address aviation safety issues in the U.S. would dramatically impact the process of getting to the facts, including making witnesses more reluctant to come forward with details. Criminalizing will make t ..read more

Missing equipment and inexperience led to a plane crash that killed 3. Precipitation, turbulence, and icing were factors in the crash of a Piper PA-30 Comanche in Oklahoma. The pilot did not have an instrument certification and was not able to handle the conditions. The pilot had a private pilot and multiengine rating but did not have instrument training. Todd Curtis, Miles O’Brien, and John Goglia discuss what may have driven the pilot to fly into deteriorating weather. “Getting there” seems to have been the focus rather than planning and preparation. The pilot was cruising at about 8,500 fee ..read more

The fatal crash of Hughes 369 helicopter being used to trim trees has a backstory that gives insight into what went wrong. This workhorse of a helicopter apparently had damage from previous incidents. The NTSB investigation found cracks in an engine mount that were likely present before the crash. John Goglia and Todd Curtis look beyond the fatal accident and share three previous investigations involving this helicopter. Two involved a crash with serious structural damage or a hard landing. These events may have stressed the engine mounts.  The fatal crash happened when the helicopter was ..read more

Training flight gone wrong! An examination of a February 2024 accident that involved an unstable approach, a tail strike, and a near collision with an airplane hanger. Both the instructor and student involved in the Cessna 172 accident survived. Their account of the event provides insights into how a routine training flight turned into a near disaster. The instructor's decision-making created a dangerous situation. Shortly before landing, ATC redirected the aircraft to a much shorter runway, and the instructor allowed the student to bring in the aircraft too high and too fast. The instructor t ..read more

The crew of a United Airlines 727 tried to turn back shortly after takeoff from Los Angeles, but did not make it back to the airport. The plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean. Greg Feith, Todd Curtis, and John Goglia discuss the crash of the 727-22QC in 1969. Electrical failures and electrical system design contributed to the plane crash. The accident happened on a night with limited visibility due to the weather. The aircraft had three electrical generators, but only two were working. Shortly after takeoff, the crew shut down one engine due to a fire warning. That move shut down one of the tw ..read more

Oil and oxygen don’t mix on airplanes. A crew doing maintenance on the Air Force One oxygen system ignored safety procedures resulting in $4 million dollars of damage the plane. The damage was caused by maintenance activity on the oxygen system of a U.S. Air Force VC-25A, a 747 aircraft that regularly flies the President of the United States. This event occurred in 2016. John Goglia and Todd Curtis share evidence that crew did not follow the VC-25A's aircraft maintenance manual procedures for cleaning the tools, parts, and components before performing leak checks on the oxygen system.  Th ..read more

New evidence calls into question the NTSB's conclusions – and our reporting in Episode 193 - about a 2020 midair collision. Video and other information shows that there were two helicopters in the area before the midair collision. Miles O'Brien, Todd Curtis, and John Goglia revisit the 2020 midair collision of a drone and a helicopter. The NTSB used a video shot by the drone to conclude that a helicopter seen at the beginning of the video later collided with the drone.  When Todd recently used the video as part of a class he was teaching, he noticed a shadow that he could not explain. Th ..read more