Flight Safety Detectives

Latest Episodes:

Accident Investigations: Tearing Down Engines Apr 27, 2020

Show notes

Episode 22

Greg and John take a deep dive into the accident investigation process related to engines with guest Jason Lukasik, president of JL2 Aviation Consultants in Eagle River, Alaska.

Jason shares his experiences in two roles. He was the air safety representative for an engine manufacturer. He also served with the FAA. He shares first-hand accounts of how engines are assessed and analyzed from the first moments of an investigation.

Listen as Greg, John and Jason tear down engines, looking for the important details that contribute to an accident. They also talk about the safety insights and enforcement actions that can result.

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Who's Investigating? Apr 20, 2020

Show notes

Episode 21

NTSB and FAA investigators are not deemed “essential” for the purposes of coronavirus guidance. That’s a huge concern for John and Greg as well as special guest Jason Lukasik, president of JL2 Aviation Consultants in Eagle River, Alaska.

Investigations of new accidents are all but on hold. Only basic information is being collected as personnel work from home. This even though investigators have biohazard training, proper protective equipment and the knowledge to conduct onsite investigations in a safe manner.

Perishable information is being lost as accidents are cleared and witnesses go without being interviewed. The NTSB and FAA say they plan to take up the backlog when operations get back to normal, but the work is sure to be much harder – and less insightful – as time passes.

There’s another wrinkle for the long term – the aviation industry role in providing expertise to crash investigations is dwindling. In the early 2000s, most manufacturers staffed up to have dedicated experts that contributed to crash investigations. This helped everyone identify root cases and safety issues more quickly.

Even before the heavy economic impacts of COVID-19, strapped manufacturers have not been back-filling investigator positions. That situation is certain to get worse as they deal with the losses from weeks and months of being all but shut down.

John, Greg and Jason share cases from their personal experiences to illustrate the risks and impacts these changes can have on air safety. They discuss the certain and urgent need to shift to new ways of handling air crashes and safety issues.

Photo caption: Once wreckage is removed from an accident site, investigations become more challenging. Photo: NTSB.

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Corona Virus Will Reshape the Aviation Industry Apr 10, 2020

Show notes

Episode 20

Parked airplanes, photos courtesy of Ishrion Aviation

The corona virus pandemic will impact all aspects of aviation. Will the industry bounce back? Will it look the same?

The flying public will have increased safety concerns and expectations. Airlines will have to deal with impacts on planes, crews and procedures. John and Greg explore these implications and much more.

Some predictions:

Fleets will be reshaped, with planned retirements of 767s and other older planes accelerated
The anticipated pilot shortage will not be as acute, with fewer planes flying
Business travel will decrease with remote work and telecommuting becoming more common
New procedures will be needed for cleaning airplanes that prevents spread of the virus

The traveling public will need to be reassured that flying is safe. Social distancing and greater understanding of how viruses spread will change the way everyone looks at flying for work or pleasure. Airlines, airports, government and more will need to restore the confidence of the traveling public.

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Are Active Winglets the Next Game Changer for Aviation? Mar 27, 2020

Show notes

Episode 19

John Goglia, center, with Tamarack’s Jacob Klinginsmith (left) and Nick Guida

Guests Nick Guida and Jacob Klinginsmith from Tamarack Aerospace Group talk about the company’s patented active winglets. Installed now on 100 Citation Jets, the winglets have proven to offer better climb, more range, and less fuel burn.

Active Winglets add up to 33 percent fuel savings on general aviation aircraft and at least double or triple fuel savings percentage on commercial or most military airframes.

Greg and John discuss the genesis of the idea, the impact for pilots, the effect on aircraft performance, and the environmental benefits of the active winglet technology. They look at the potential for military, commercial and general aviation.

They also explore a 2018 accident involving a Citation Jet equipped with active winglets. Despite initial negative press, the Tamarack technology was cleared for flight. Guida and Klinginsmith share lessons learned and ongoing efforts to work with the FAA to get out accurate information.

About Tamarack

Tamarack designs and develops innovative technology for business, commercial, and military aircraft, specializing in its revolutionary Active Winglets. Tamarack winglets create performance and fuel efficiencies that make aircraft more cost effective for operators and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. More information is at the Tamarack website.

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Talking Drones with Drone Queen Loretta Alkalay Mar 18, 2020

Show notes

Episode 18

Loretta Alkalay, a retired regional counsel for the FAA Eastern Region, is known as the “drone queen” for her passion as a drone user. She is this episode’s special guest as John and Greg explore all things drone.

Drones are an exciting way to get kids, and especially girls, involved in aviation at a time when the industry needs to build a pipeline of new talent. However, their use for commercial purposes, privacy concerns, and other issues have led to confusion and a rush for regulation.

John, Greg, and Loretta talk about current regulations as well as the FAA’s proposed rule on remote ID for drones.

They also bust some myths:

Drones can legally fly above 400 feet
It is not illegal for drones to fly within 5 miles of an airport

Learn more about the current state of drones in the US in this lively episode. Also check out the referenced resources, Women Who Drone and Women and Drones.

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Inspector General Report Signals Dangerous Air Safety Complacency Feb 25, 2020

Show notes

Episode 17
The Department of Transportation’s Inspector General’s office recently issued a scathing report about failures in Southwest Airlines’ safety practices and culture. The report also criticizes the Federal Aviation Administration’s inspectors and leaders assigned to monitor Southwest for lax and ineffective safety oversight of the airline.

John and Greg discuss the issues found at Southwest, and broaden the discussion to US air safety practices in general. Air safety has been so good for so long -- are we getting dangerously complacent?

John and Greg discuss recent and historical incidents and lay out the need for a reinvigorated commitment to safety procedures.

The episode wraps with a new “What Would You Do” challenge that stems from the recent helicopter crash in California. If you were the pilot of a helicopter with a high-profile customer on board and deteriorating conditions, what would you do? Share your answer with John and Greg at flightsafetydetectives@gmail.com.

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NTSB Investigation of the Kobe Bryant Sikorsky Helicopter Crash Feb 18, 2020

Show notes

Episode 16

The fatal Jan. 26, 2020, Sikorsky Helicopter Crash near Calabasas, California is the latest high-profile NTSB investigation. John and Greg use the unfortunate tragedy to look at the facts known so far and also to explain the NTSB investigative process.

They give listeners behind the scenes insight into what happens from the first moments after an accident. John and Greg share examples from the many investigations they have been part of to review what is known and what remains to be learned in this case.

The NTSB has already shared an update and some video footage from the investigation.

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Fly the Way You Train, Train the Way You Fly Jan 23, 2020

Show notes

Episode 15
They have dissected the more than 300 pages of the Indonesian National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC) final report on Lion Air Flight 610 and John and Greg reach a very different conclusion. The Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) was not the root cause, flight crew deficiencies are more likely the root cause.
Once again, John and Greg stick to the facts presented in the report. They find that those facts are twisted in the report analysis as well as media coverage. This leads to misplaced blame on the MCAS system and, worse, missed opportunities to improve aviation safety.
Calling the conclusion that MCAS was the cause a “leap of logic,” John and Greg instead look at documented issues with crew training and the direct parallels those issues have to what happened in the cockpit that fateful day.

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Lion Air Accident Report Analysis Jan 16, 2020

Show notes

Episode 14
Greg and John do a moment by moment analysis of the events leading up to the crash of Lion Air Flight 610.

They share their takeaways following months of dissecting the Indonesian National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC) final report regarding the crash. They put the facts in context – facts listed in the report as well as details that are missing.

The MCAS system that is widely blamed for the crash was activated for only 10 seconds of the first 6 minutes of the 11:37 flight. The report shows that the pilot was controlling the plane.

The Flight Safety Detectives find:

The airplane was not airworthy for days prior to the crash
Maintenance was not done properly
Flight crew stresses: the captain was sick and the first officer was called in ahead of his regular schedule
At takeoff, aircraft control warnings were triggered that are not analyzed for impact on the sequence of events
Flight crew did not follow procedures
Quality of the pilot training program is not examined

John and Greg bring in insights from other crashes to provide an unmatched analysis of this tragedy.

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The (Real) Facts of the Indonesian Report Jan 08, 2020

Show notes

Episode 13
The Indonesian National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC) final report regarding the crash of Lion Air Flight 610 continues to get a lot of media attention. Moving away from soundbites, John and Greg examine the actual words and facts found in the report and call out numerous false narratives.

Chaos in the cockpit? The report mentions that the sound of pages being turned in the operations manual could be heard on the cockpit voice recorder.

Aircraft failure? The report does not support that conclusion. The report documents known maintenance issues that were not fixed more than 20 days before the crash. It also fails to dig into the pilot training program.

These and other facts in the report lead to conclusions other than the current focus on the aircraft as being the root cause of the crash, according to the Flight Safety Detectives.

They also discuss recent developments at Boeing and the impacts for airlines, employees, investors and the flying public.

Photo: Greg in the simulator at Boeing Headquarters in Seattle.

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