The preliminary accident report on the February crash of the Endeavor Air CRJ-900 in Toronto, Canada has just been released. John Goglia, Todd Curtis and Greg Feith examine the facts provided as well as the gaps in information that still exist.

The reported descent rate at touchdown was very close to the descent rate the detectives estimated based on a screen grab taken from a witness video. While confirming some observations, the report is missing key information including the conversations on the cockpit voice recorder.

About a month after the Toronto crash, another Endeavor CRJ-900 had a wingtip strike in similar wind conditions at LaGuardia airport. The similarities between the Toronto and LaGuardia incidents may direct investigators to look at the airline's training.

The preliminary report covers key aspects of the crew's training and experience. The first officer was the pilot flying the flight and had fewer than 1,500 total flight hours. In the 30 days prior to the accident, the first officer had about 10 times as many flight hours as the captain.

The report does detail the captain's role in the Toronto crash. Was he performing duties typical of the non-flying pilot or coaching the first officer? Was he prepared to take control of the aircraft? Unlike the NTSB, the Canadian TSB may only publish a summary of the cockpit voice recorder conversations and not the full transcript. 

The person who recorded a video of the crash sequence from an aircraft close to the crash scene should submit that video to the TSB for use in the investigation. The video might help the investigation.

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The investigation of a 2023 Beechcraft Bonanza in Brazil led to an unusual recommendation. The Brazilian authorities find that an engine trend monitoring program could have prevented the accident.

In this event, the pilot made a successful off-field landing after the engine failed. The investigation found that the failure was due to a leak in the mechanical pump and fuel controller.

The aircraft was on a relatively long flight in Brazil when the pilot diverted to an airport near his intended destination. The investigation found that the engine was operated beyond the manufacturer's suggested time between overhauls, but that this did not violate regulations in Brazil.

Greg Feith discusses his plan to buy a new airplane and why he is planning to include a monitoring program for his aircraft.

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Travel journalist Peter Greenberg joins Todd Curtis, Greg Feith, and John Goglia for a wide-ranging look at current aviation topics. Peter is a longtime safety advocate and host of the PBS series "The Travel Detective.”

Hear as these four experts cover the hottest topics in aviation safety. Ironically, the U.S. has just marked the 30 safest years since commercial aviation began. Yet, recent incidents reported make aviation seem less safe than ever.

Much of what has changed is the impact of citizen journalists. Widespread access to recording devices and social media allows everyone to influence public perception of safety in aviation by increasing the visibility of incidents and accidents.

Get an inside look at the challenges faced by journalists like Peter, who balances the constraints of news production with the need to address public concerns about aviation risks. He also shares the role he plays in educating colleagues and the public about aviation, emphasizing the importance of context and factual accuracy in reporting.

They examine the effectiveness of the FAA in maintaining safety standards and in updating regulations. Technological advances in aviation are outpacing regulatory frameworks, creating gaps in safety protocols for emerging technologies such as autonomous cargo drones and small vertical takeoff and landing passenger aircraft.

Hear predictions for what’s next in aviation technology and safety, including challenges such as managing increased air traffic and integrating unmanned aerial vehicles into crowded airspaces.

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An examination of the preliminary NTSB report of a February 10, 2025 crash of a Learjet 35 that killed the pilot. Todd Curtis, Greg Feith, and John Goglia examine the issues with the landing gear that caused the accident.

The flight crew was conducting a normal approach and was apparently unaware that the left main landing gear had failed. Witness photos taken during the approach showed that the left main landing gear was twisted almost 180 degrees from its normal position.

About eight months before the accident in Scottsdale, the aircraft had an incident in Oklahoma where the left main landing gear sustained damage. Although the NTSB found that a hard landing inspection was performed after the incident, there was no mention of what specific inspections were done. 

Photos show that the left main landing gear was not properly lubricated. John discussed how investigations often do not look deeply into the causes of maintenance issues, often stopping their investigation at the maintenance hangar door.

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A look at several recent high-profile aviation accidents. Although flying is much less risky than decades ago, crashes change the public's opinion about aviation safety. It now feels less safe to fly.

The February 17 crash in Toronto of an Endeavor Airlines CRJ-900 operating as a Delta Air Lines regional flight gets particular emphasis. Todd Curtis, Greg Feith and John Goglia compare the Toronto crash to three other crashes where the wings broke off, the aircraft ended up inverted, and there was a post-crash fire. 

The 1997 crash of a FedEx MD11 at Newark Airport is one similar event. John was the NTSB board member leading the on-site investigation.

The detectives discuss the known evidence and what is expected to be uncovered during the investigation. The crash is being investigated in Canada, so the release of public information is expected to be somewhat limited.

Witnesses both inside and outside the accident aircraft published videos shortly after the accident. These make it possible to estimate the aircraft's speed before landing and average descent rate as well as see the initial breakup of the aircraft.

The videos also offer a case study of evacuation practices and issues. While the videos provide valuable insights for investigators, the passengers who took videos during the evacuation jeopardized safety.

Hear why the evacuation slides did not deploy. The detectives share the smart decisions made by the flight crew to avoid issues that happened in the Miracle on the Hudson event.

The detectives separate fact from fiction in the media commentary about the Toronto accident. Some experts are just plain wrong.

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The pilot of the drone that damaged a firefighting aircraft has pled guilty to causing the damage that grounded the Candian SuperScooper for several days. The event was detailed in Episode 253.

The pilot, a successful video game developer, paid over $65,000 to repair the aircraft, will reimburse the government Quebec for additional costs, and faces up to a year in prison. In the words of the Department of Justice, the pilot "recklessly flew an aircraft into airspace where first responders were risking their lives in an attempt to protect lives and property."

The pilot did more than damage the plane. He violated aviation safety practices. The pilot should have known that what he was doing was dangerous.

• Flying a drone into an area where firefighters and firefighting aircraft were dealing with an emergency 
• Flying the aircraft out of his visual line of sight, violating one of the basic regulations for flying a small drone 

John Goglia and Todd Curtis discuss the risks related to drone flights. They offer advice for all drone pilots.

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The midair collision between an airliner and a military helicopter in Washington D.C. has led to actions that may hinder aviation safety and national security. And, it has highlighted issues caused by the current air traffic control system as well as vacant leadership positions at the FAA. 

Greg Feith, John Goglia and Todd Curtis talk about the aviation safety issues surrounding the tragic air crash and the impact of political reactions. They cover the information released by investigators. 

Knee-jerk reactions from authorities like halting certain flight operations, leadership gaps in the FAA, and politicians, including President Trump, speculating on the cause of the accident before the facts were all in have all added to the complication of understanding these tragic events.

Midair collisions with airliners are rare. It has been 38 years since the last airliner midair in the U.S. John Goglia shares his personal experience with a midair accident when he had released the accident aircraft just a few hours before everyone on board was killed in a midair collision. 

Greg, John and Todd offer meaningful proposals to allow for continued safe operation of Reagan National Airport and a full and complete independent investigation of the accident. This accident presents a meaningful opportunity to examine the current air traffic control system in the U.S.

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Nick Lappos, former Vietnam AH-1 Cobra helicopter pilot and Lockheed Martin Senior Fellow for Rotary and Mission Systems, offers insights on the future of air mobility. The focus is on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and advanced air mobility (AAM).

Nick was part of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) certification task force that just published the report "Challenges to the Commercialization of Advanced Air Mobility.” He shares his expertise on air traffic management. 

Together with Greg Feith, John Goglia and Todd Curtis, he digs into the challenges of integrating UAVs into the air traffic control system. They explore what will be needed to manage all types of air vehicles. The AIAA report outlines a technological framework reminiscent of cell phone networks where UAVs are handled in real time in an autonomous or semi-autonomous way.

UAVs are expected play a significant role in delivery services and other commercial uses. The discussion covers various aspects of UAV integration, including the certification of vehicles, electronic systems, air traffic control issues, and the economic implications of UAV technology. 

Extensive planning and cooperation should begin now to ensure a safe future for air space. 

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Details emerge of a possible encounter between a 767 and about 25 unidentified UAP flying near Santa Fe, New Mexico. The plane was headed from JFK to LAX. The UAS followed the aircraft at high altitude for about an hour over hundreds of miles.

The FAA or some other organization needs to investigate events like this to assess credible risks and ensure safety of air space. There are significant national security concerns as well.

Increased reports of UAP sightings may not be from more events happening, but from there being less stigma around the subject of UAP and a greater acceptance that something is going on.

John Goglia, Todd Curtis and Greg Feith also discuss comments made by the White House press secretary claiming that the drones seen over New Jersey and New York in late 2024 were authorized by the FAA for research purposes. The detectives agreed that the comments are not credible given the lack of corroborating information from the FAA or any other entities.

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NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his family survived the August 15, 2019 crash of a Cessna Citation Latitude jet caused by bad pilot decisions. John Goglia, Greg Feith and Todd Curtis go beyond the NTSB report to explore what led to an “unstabilized, ridiculously fast” landing that destroyed the aircraft.

Both crew members had hundreds of hours of flight experience in this aircraft model, and the copilot was also the director of operations for the airplane operator. In spite of their experience, the crew decided to continue the approach after realizing the aircraft was in an unstabilized approach.

The aircraft landed too fast, was not configured properly for landing, and bounced several times before one of the main landing gear collapsed. The plane then departed the runway, came to rest just outside the airport, and caught fire. Fortunately, everyone was able to escape. 

The detectives explore several factors:

• Lack of planning by the flight crew
• Use of nonstandard procedures to salvage an unstabilized approach
• Answers missing in the NTSB analysis of the accident. 

This accident is similar to a 2004 event involving a Gulfstream jet headed to Houston to pick up former president George H.W. Bush. Like the crash with Dale Earnhardt Jr, the experienced crew found themselves in an unstabilized approach, failed to follow standard procedures, and crashed. 

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