Two Piper airplane crashes show that pilots’ bad decisions can have devastating results. This episode covers two avoidable fatal crashes.  A 1991 accident involves a Piper Seneca in Florida. The NTSB found that the two occupants were partially disrobed and no evidence that either were wearing seat belts or shoulder harnesses. The report makes clear that the two occupants were attempting to join the Mile High Club. In the second event, a Cessna 150 crashed in 2014 after the pilot took off at night with a very low ceiling. He was taking flash pictures. He crashed shortly after takeoff due ..read more

Coming to you from the 2024 AMC Competition in Chicago! Miles O'Brien, Todd Curtis, John Goglia, Greg Feith, and aircraft mechanic and accident investigator Jason Lukasik share the experience of the competition. Every aspect of aviation maintenance and repair was on display as competitors worked to beat the clock. This year more than 400 competitors from nearly 90 teams from maintenance schools, airlines, and the military tackled 27 aviation maintenance skills challenges. Hear about the displays of excellence and comradery witnessed at the event. The high-energy event highlights the critical r ..read more

Special guest Henry Gourdji shares the work of the Laura Taber Barbour Foundation, which presents the Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award. The air safety award has been given in recognition of aviation safety leadership since 1956. Recipients include John Goglia in 2020.  The award grew out of the 1945 crash of a DC3 that killed all 20 crew and passengers, including Laura Taber Barbour. Her family created the award to recognize significant air safety achievements. Henry highlights the ongoing dedicated work of air safety professionals. John and Henry discuss the international scope of t ..read more

Miles O'Brien joins Todd Curtis and John Goglia to discuss two fatal general aviation accidents that involved aircraft that were just out of maintenance. In focus are the decisions and actions pilots and maintenance personnel could have taken to avoid the crashes or make them survivable. One crash involves a Piper Cherokee on its second flight after an oil pressure line was replaced. The pilot did not do a basic preflight check or notice a five-foot diameter oil stain under the aircraft. The engine failed shortly after takeoff, and the pilot crashed while attempting to make a 180° turn back to ..read more

A Beech Hawker 900XP jet crashed while doing a flight test of a stall warning system. Special guest Miles O'Brien joins Todd Curtis and John Goglia deconstruct the February 2024 aviation incident.  The accident occurred during a positioning flight that happened after completion of maintenance of the anti-icing component on the leading edge of the wing. The flight crew was performing a required test of the stall warning system. The aircraft lost control and crashed about 11 minutes after takeoff. Stall tests are often done early in a flight so the crew can easily return to the maintenance ..read more

A photo shoot in a dry Nevada lakebed went horribly wrong when the wing of an airplane hit the model in the head. Miles O’Brien, Todd Curtis, and John Goglia discuss the June 2023 accident that involved an Aviate Husky plane. The pilot, photographer and his wife, who was the model for the photo session, met early on the morning of the accident. On the fly, they planned a complex photo session involving the aircraft flying close to the model.  The pilot misjudged his approach and the wingtip of the aircraft struck the back of model's head and caused a serious injury. John compares this eve ..read more

An experienced flight instructor and student were killed when stall and spin practice in a Cessna 172 went horribly wrong. Flight data recorded by the aircraft and other evidence shows that the aircraft entered a very steep spiral turn nearly 6,000 above the ground and did not recover. “They set themselves up for the right conditions. This accident just doesn’t make sense,” John Goglia says. Todd Curtis and John dig into the November 11, 2021 fatal plane crash. The flight instructor had nearly 15,000 hours of experience in the Cessna 172 and the student pilot had nearly 370 hours in the same m ..read more

More than 50 people were injured on March 11 when a Boeing 787 flying from Australia to New Zealand experienced a precipitous drop. John Goglia shares inside information that indicates one of the pilot seats was accidentally moved forward, jamming the pilot up against the control column and causing the sudden drop. Special guest Miles O'Brien joins Todd Curtis and John Goglia to discuss this and another aviation incident from early March 2024. The second incident occurred on March 7, when a planespotter recorded a video of a wheel falling off of a 777 shortly after takeoff from San Francisco ..read more

Todd Curtis, Greg Feith, and John Goglia discuss the crash of a Joby JAS4 eVTOL aircraft to highlight safety concerns and regulatory challenges. Propulsion units used in eVTOLs pose significant safety risks. The eVTOL in this crash was being remotely flown during a test flight. The aircraft is powered by six electric motors and is designed to take off and land vertically like a helicopter and cruise like an airplane.  John, Greg, and Todd examine how the design of the aircraft, with a unique configuration of six propulsion units, creates several failure modes that don't exist for currentl ..read more

Todd Curtis and John Goglia discuss the February 9, 2024 crash of a Challenger 604 jet on I75 in Florida. The plane landed on the road, but then crashed into a wall, killing the pilot and copilot. John and Todd discuss why a better outcome was possible. The jet, which had three crew members and two passengers, was nearing the end of a flight from Columbus, Ohio, when the flight crew declared an emergency to air traffic control. They lost their engines and could not make it to the airport. Little official information was available at the time of the recording. It was not known whether the aircr ..read more