Flight Safety Detectives

Yeti Air Crash Preliminary Report - Episode 157

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.

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Deadly Cory Lidle Crash Caused by Failure to Plan- Episode 156

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.

Related documents:

• NTSB Accident Brief: Lidle_SR20_2006_brief.pdf
• FAA AC 60-22 Aeronautical Decision Making: FAA-AC 60-22 - Aeronautical Decision Making 1991-12-31
• PUBLIC DOCKET: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=64679

Don’t miss what’s to come from the Flight Safety Detectives - subscribe to the Flight Safety Detectives YouTube channel, listen at your favorite podcast service and visit the Flight Safety Detectives website.

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

Vintage Aircraft Creating Safety Concerns - Episode 155

Vintage airframes are creating modern-day safety issues. Todd Curtis and John Goglia discuss the recent P63 -B17 crash at a Texas air show as one example. They also examine a 2020 crash of a Vietnam era UH-1H helicopter that crashed during fire suppression operations.

The Flight safety Detectives talk about the challenges of keeping older airframes safe. Metal ages and fatigues. Maintenance records are less clear. The people with in-depth experience with these aircraft become scarce.

They talk about the many facets the FAA will need to consider as the agency reassesses the proper use of old war birds and other vintage airframes for non-commercial uses.

They also discuss the acceptability of risks associated with airshow aircraft and firefighting aircraft.

Related document: NTSB Accident Number WPR20LA211 Report (PDF)

Don’t miss what’s to come from the Flight Safety Detectives - subscribe to the Flight Safety Detectives YouTube channel, listen at your favorite podcast service and visit the Flight Safety Detectives website.

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

Phraseology and Aviation Safety - Episode 154

Words matter. Todd Curtis, Greg Feith, and John Goglia discuss several aviation incidents with a common thread of communication issues.

They cover two runway incursions that were dangerously close to becoming runway collisions. One was at JFK Airport in January 2023, and the second in Austin in February 2023. These air carrier events are an opportunity to look phraseology and communication as factors in aviation safety.

The Flight Safety Detectives talk about the importance of investigators looking at cockpit communication issues and human factors issues in these incidents. In both, they suspect that little things like the words used and distractions could have caused major safety issues.

They also discuss the February 2023 shootdowns of a balloon and three as yet unidentified aerospace vehicles.

Join John, Greg and Todd for this roundup of several recent aviation safety issues that highlight the role that words – the right words, the wrong words, and misunderstood words – play in keeping people and planes safe.

Don’t miss what’s to come from the Flight Safety Detectives - subscribe to the Flight Safety Detectives YouTube channel, listen at your favorite podcast service and visit the Flight Safety Detectives website.

19 Operational Mistakes and 1 Ruined Helicopter - Episode 153

“A sloppy operation all around.” That’s John Goglia’s summary of a helicopter and truck accident that’s the subject of this episode. John counts 19 operational errors listed in the accident report that all contributed to the crash that destroyed a police helicopter.

John and Todd Curtis share insight and amateur video that provide a close look at the 2020 ground collision in Brazil. The helicopter was operating on a public road while traffic was passing both in front of and behind the aircraft.

Many operational procedures were in place to avoid such an accident. Unfortunately, they were not followed.

John and Todd cover the many ways that this accident could have been avoided. They talk about the value of following procedures to eliminate or reduce unnecessary risks.

Don’t miss what’s to come from the Flight Safety Detectives - subscribe to the Flight Safety Detectives YouTube channel, listen at your favorite podcast service and visit the Flight Safety Detectives website.

 

A320 Elevator Damage Impacts Flight - Episode 152

John Goglia and Todd Curtis discuss a recent event where an A320 lost part of its left elevator during takeoff in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The focus is on the differences in aviation safety systems around the globe, the challenges of tracking service bulletins on aircraft, and pilot decision making.

In this Jan. 29 flight, the flight control system was damaged and the aircraft was unable to make left turns. The aircraft continued to its destination and landed safely.

John and Todd discuss the crew's decision to continue the flight, the ability of the civil aviation authorities to investigate the incident, and the role that the manufacturer may play in understanding what led to the elevator separation.

An investigation into the incident may or may not happen. Further, results of any information gathered may not be released to the public or aviation community.

Experienced Test Pilot Doomed by Severe Weather- Episode 151

Even highly experienced pilots can be overcome by severe weather. Todd Curtis and John Goglia discuss the fatal crash that took the life of famed test pilot Scott Crossfield. A thunderstorm boxed him in, leading to loss of control of his Cessna 210A.

John and Todd examine the weather information available to the pilot and to air traffic controllers. Failure to pay attention and communicate about the weather played a key factor in this air crash.

Crossfield was a famous test pilot with more than 11,000 flight hours. He was the first person to break Mach 2 in an airplane.

John and Todd discuss the need to reconsider flying when severe weather is predicted. They note that planes of all sizes can be affected, and a flight delay is often the safer alternative.

Related documents at the Flight safety Detectives website:

• NTSB ACCIDENT REPORT
• ADVISORY CIRCULARS:
  • FAA AC 00-24B
  • FAA AC 00-24C

Don’t miss what’s to come from the Flight Safety Detectives - subscribe to the Flight Safety Detectives YouTube channel, listen at your favorite podcast service and visit the Flight Safety Detectives website.

All music used by permission: Upbeat Inspiration by Paul Werner licensed by Jamendo Licensing and Upbeat Technology Corporate by Forest Music licensed by Jamendo Licensing.

Flight Instructors Can Be Dead Wrong - Episode 150

A pilot in training paid with her life when a flight instructor chose a poor location to practice engine failure maneuvers. John and Todd review the evidence collected following the air crash in California to offer flight safety advice.

Being a pilot is not easy. Pay attention to everything. Anticipate what could go wrong and have a plan.

In the 2017 accident reviewed in this episode, a flight instructor chose a mountainous area to teach simulated engine failures. Two students were aboard, one actively participating in the lesson and a second observing.

The poor choice of location created a real issue that led to a crash into the terrain. While the aircraft was largely intact, the rear passenger was killed.

John and Todd talk about the decisions that led to this air crash. It’s not easy, but students should always be willing to fire their CFI or flight school when they encounter unsafe practices.

Don’t miss what’s to come from the Flight Safety Detectives - subscribe to the Flight Safety Detectives YouTube channel, listen at your favorite podcast service and visit the Flight Safety Detectives website.

Spatial Disorientation Kills – Episode 149

Spatial disorientation can happen to any pilot. It led to the fatal crashes that killed John F Kennedy Jr and Kobe Bryant. John, Greg and Todd are joined by expert Andy Watson to talk about ways pilots can avoid a deadly air crash.

Andy Watson is a professional air traffic controller, pilot, and author of the book, The Pilot’s Guide to Air Traffic Control. He describes the FAA accident briefing that led him to research spatial disorientation and develop practical recommendations to help avoid it.

Spatial disorientation can happen when a pilot is in IFR conditions, banking left or right, and moving their head. This phenomenon is especially challenging for single pilots. Spatial disorientation is the contributing factor in many air crashes.

Hear practical advice for all pilots. The discussion covers how to avoid spatial disorientation and how to work with air traffic control to get help when needed. Learn why the responses “standby” or “unable” are acceptable and could save your life.

Related documents at the Flight Safety Detectives website:

• FAA Spatial Disorientation brochure (PDF)
• 2017 Pilatus PC12 accident report (PDF)
• Public Docket for the Pilatus PC12 accident

Don’t miss what’s to come from the Flight Safety Detectives - subscribe to the Flight Safety Detectives YouTube channel, listen at your favorite podcast service and visit the Flight Safety Detectives website.

All music used by permission: Upbeat Inspiration by Paul Werner licensed by Jamendo Licensing and Upbeat Technology Corporate by Forest Music licensed by Jamendo Licensing.

Troy Gentry Crash Caused by Maintenance Error – Episode 148

The helicopter crash that killed musician Troy Gentry of Montgomery Gentry was primarily caused by improper maintenance. The Flight Safety Detectives share why they find fault with the NTSB assigning the primary cause to the pilot.

“It is clear that the basic cause of this accident occurred in the hangar,” says John Goglia.

John and Todd review the information in the NTSB report. They applaud the excellent work done by the NTSB lab that showed how improper installation of engine tie rod nuts led to engine failure of the Schweizer 269C.

While there are pages of analysis of the pilot and his actions in the NTSB final report, the clear maintenance deficiencies are covered minimally. The mechanic did not follow the manual or specifications.

While at the NTSB, John pushed for more investment in exploring human factors in the maintenance hangar. This accident shows a continued lack of commitment to defining corrective actions for maintenance personnel.

Related documents on the Flight safety Detectives website:

• NTSB final report
• Public Docket 

Don’t miss what’s to come from the Flight Safety Detectives - subscribe to the Flight Safety Detectives YouTube channel, listen at your favorite podcast service and visit the Flight Safety Detectives website.

All music used by permission: Upbeat Inspiration by Paul Werner licensed by Jamendo Licensing and Upbeat Technology Corporate by Forest Music licensed by Jamendo Licensing.