Flight Safety Detectives

Latest Episodes:

Famed R&B Singer Killed in Air Crash Caused by Safety Errors – Episode 161 Apr 12, 2023

Show notes

The air crash that killed R&B singer Aaliyah had more safety holes than swiss cheese. John Goglia and Todd Curtis examine at the Bahamian authority report of the 2001 event.

Eight passengers and a pilot were onboard the Cessna 402B charter flight. John and Todd discuss the details of the accident report and the multiple organizational issues of the aircraft operator.

They find that shoddy airline operations are at the center of the cause of this event. They talk about the specific shortcomings that involve everything from pilot verification, to aircraft maintenance to illegal operations.

John and Todd talk about the management oversight and systems needed to safely operate a charter airline. They also cover the responsibility of people booking these flights to check out who they are working with.

Related resource at the Flight Safety Detectives website: AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT REPORT FSI FILE # A0619836 (PDF)

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Music: “Inspirational Sports” license ASLC-22B89B29-052322DDB8

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Captain Kirk, SXSW and Listener Questions - Episode 160 Apr 05, 2023

Show notes

Todd Curtis is just back from exploring the future of air transportation on display at SXSW in Austin, Texas. He and John Goglia talk about newcomers Jove and EVE, electric and hydrogen engines and more. Plus, they answer listener questions.

They highlight aviation safety issues brought by new technology and aviation innovations. They cover everything from cockpit design to countering perceptions created by the Hindenburg crash.

Pilot training, maintenance capabilities, and regulations will all need to evolve as we move toward a time of advanced air mobility.

“New technology will need to meet old rules,” John observes. Innovators will have to work with regulators in addition to solving technical challenges.

Listener questions include flying into clouds, FOIA requests, airport access and more.

Related resources at the Flight Safety Detectives website:

Logbook mentioned in the section on FOIA report findings for NTSB accident
NTSB accident report related to FOIA request FOIA-2022-00453
The Hindenburg crash video featured in the episode

Music License Codes: ASLC-2042A62C-B9C4CBFFD, ASLC-1F1B3E23-E378DB5384

Music: “Inspirational Sports” license ASLC-22B89B29-052322DDB8

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Loss of Control or Structural Inflight Breakup? - Episode 159 Mar 29, 2023

Show notes

The crash of a Pilatus PC-12 this February 24 killed all five aboard. John Goglia and Greg Feith use their investigation prowess to examine whether the air crash was caused by pilot loss of control or structural inflight breakup that led to loss of control.

Greg and John discuss the preliminary NTSB accident report and analyze ADS-B data from the flight. They review the facts that show why this accident is likely more than a case of spatial disorientation.

The crash was the third fatal accident for air ambulance provider Guardian Flight. Investigators will need to get a true picture of the event through data and weather analysis, examination of the wreckage, and detailing the sequence of events starting well before takeoff.

Greg walks through ADS-B data that indicates the initial climb initially appeared normal. At about 18,000 feet, the speeds and heading diverge from normal. Soon after, the plane goes into a spiraling pattern. The data will need to be correlated with the physical evidence collected to create an accurate scenario.

“Looking at the data threw up red flags for me. We need the facts, conditions and circumstances to properly analyze what happened,” Greg says.

Related resources at the Flight Safety Detectives website:

NTSB Flickr album of still photos of investigation
NTSB video of on-scene investigation
ADS-B data from adsbexchange.com

Music: “Inspirational Sports” license ASLC-22B89B29-052322DDB8

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Cessna 441 Engine Issue Traced to Maintenance Mistakes - Episode 158 Mar 22, 2023

Show notes

A Cessna 441 Conquest had an engine issue and landed without incident. A fix was made, but that’s not the end of the story. A second incident occurred that revealed damage not initially discovered. The Flight Safety Detectives share major safety takeaways from this sequence of events.

The focus is on an Australian investigation of a 2021 incident. During some engine maintenance, two adjacent oil lines were transposed. The error was discovered when the engine did not operate properly in flight. A field repair was done, but a short time later there was another engine problem.

The transposed lines led to damage to the oil pump. Fortunately, neither engine incident caused an accident.

This incident would not have met the NTSB criteria for investigation, but the Australian ATSB did gather information and generate a report. That report highlights how seemingly small maintenance errors can cause larger problems.

John Goglia, Todd Curtis, and Greg Feith review the findings. They go beyond the general recommendations made by the ATSB and discuss specific maintenance procedure changes that could improve aviation safety.

Related document: ATSB Aviation Occurrence Report: ATSB Report AO-2021-039 Cessna Conquest.pdf

Music: “Inspirational Sports” license ASLC-22B89B29-052322DDB8

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Yeti Air Crash Preliminary Report - Episode 157 Mar 15, 2023

Show notes

The Flight Safety Detectives examine the preliminary accident report from the fatal January 2023 crash of a Yeti Airlines ATR 72. They discuss professionalism and crew resource management as the central cause.

“Pilots needs to execute with purpose,” Greg Feith says. “That means that before you do or touch anything in the cockpit you have to be clear about your purpose.”

Greg, Todd Curtis, and John Goglia share possible reasons why the flight crew made fundamental errors that allowed the aircraft to stall and crash shortly before landing. For them, the crash may become a great case study for the importance of paying attention and professionalism.

The flight crew was a captain getting familiarization training with a new airport and a training captain. John highlights the many tasks being covered by the training captain and makes a case for the need for a third crew member in the cockpit.

The preliminary report shows that the training captain grabbed the wrong levers during approach. Neither pilot reacted well to the resulting flight issues. Human factors and poor communication are large contributors to the resulting crash.

Related documents at the Flight Safety Detectives website:

Yeti Airlines Preliminary Report: Yeti-Airlines-15-Jan-2023-Preliminary-Report.pdf
NTSB Accident report KAL flight 801: KAL_flight_801.pdf

This episode also includes discussion of the acting FAA administrator’s effort to put together a panel to study aviation safety. John, Greg and Todd talk about the types of people who need to participate to get an accurate picture of what is happening with aviation safety.

Music: “Inspirational Sports” license ASLC-22B89B29-052322DDB8

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Deadly Cory Lidle Crash Caused by Failure to Plan- Episode 156 Mar 08, 2023

Show notes

Major League Baseball player Cory Lidle was killed when he flew his Cirrus SR20 into a building alongside the East River in New York. The accident shows the consequences of failure to do preflight planning and poor aeronautical decision making.

Todd Curtis, Greg Feith, and John Goglia discuss the circumstances around the October 11, 2006 crash. The aircraft was on a VFR flight beneath the Class B airspace around Manhattan Island. Lidle and his passenger, who was a certificated instructor pilot, were unable to negotiate a turn over the East River, and were killed after striking a building.

They talk about the need for flight planning to deal with the challenging circumstances presented by wind, tall buildings and restricted air space. Calling the conditions challenging but not impossible, they focus on many options to avoid the fatal crash.

This NTSB report on this accident is full of detail. Investigators, along with the Flight Safety Detectives, were left puzzled by why the pilot did not take advantage of options available to avoid the crash.

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