Flight Safety Detectives

Helicopters and offshore oil platform operations can be a deadly combination. John Goglia and Todd Curtis discuss two accidents to illustrate aviation safety concerns.

In a 2010 accident discussed, maintenance and managerial failures resulted in minor damage and no injuries because of the pilot's skill. Another is a fatal accident that killed all on board due to the pilot not following the helicopter operator's standard procedures for landing and taking off.

In the 2010 accident there were multiple missed inspections by mechanics and pilots over several days, including the accident flight. The poor maintenance effort led to system malfunctions that prevented the pilot from fully controlling the helicopter, forcing the pilot to make a running landing at about 45 knots.

In a 2022 accident, the pilot landed away from the center of the helideck and the rear of the right skid was over the edge of the helipad and adjacent to a raised perimeter light. When the pilot took off, the right skid contacted a perimeter light, causing the helicopter to roll sharply to the right. The helicopter struck the helideck, rolled off the oil rig, and sank. The pilot has a documented history of not following takeoff and landing procedures on most of his flights to and from oil rigs.

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A pilot with many hours of experience and an instructor rating died following the bad decision to fly his newly purchased airplane without first understanding how the aircraft systems operate. He also did not review the logbooks or have the plane looked over after 10 years sitting idle.

The pilot had purchased a Piper PA-30 Twin Comanche. Key facts in the NTSB report and public docket show that the pilot did not have a pre-buy inspection, was not familiar with the aircraft’s systems, and ignored the advice of his friend and former CFI to not fly.

The pilot knew about a landing gear indication light problem before takeoff. He proceeded without resolving it or reviewing the appropriate emergency procedures for operating the landing gear. The plane stalled and crashed while he tried to troubleshoot the issue in flight.

In this analysis with John Goglia and Todd Curtis, Greg Feith shares that he is currently in the process of buying a used airplane. Like the accident pilot, the aircraft has not flown in several years. Unlike the accident pilot, he is working closely with an experienced mechanic to make the aircraft airworthy and to examine all systems on the aircraft.

Greg is frustrated with the quality of the decisions made by the pilot before and during the flight. He’s further critical of the NTSB’s analysis of this accident. The probable cause statement focuses on a stall that happened at the end of the flight rather than all the pilot actions before and during the flight.

“[The NTSB probably cause statement is] so vanilla. It is such a cop-out,” Greg says.

This accident is a result of poor aeronautical decision-making by the pilot and the actions of others around the pilot who failed to assert proper safety practices.

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An experienced pilot with multiple ratings lost control of his Mitsubishi MU-2 aircraft and crashed after a missed approach. Greg Feith, Todd Curtis and John Goglia look at the facts surrounding this incident that killed six.

ADS-B information broadcast by the plane shows a missed approach followed by an unusual second attempt. Rather than flying the published missed approach, air traffic controllers were directing the pilot to take a series of right turns for a second approach. 

The pilot was taking several members of his family to a holiday celebration, so the pilot may have chosen to fly a non-standard missed approach because it would take less time than the published approach.

Greg shares firsthand experience and knowledge of the performance of MU-2 aircraft. Several years ago, he evaluated MU-2 models for safety issues and found that many previous accidents in these models were due to issues with the pilot, not the aircraft.

This aircraft was being flown by a single pilot in IFR conditions. Flying single-pilot IFR in actual IFR conditions is a challenge for any pilot under normal circumstances. Temperatures were just above freezing at neighboring airports and there was snow in the area at the time of the crash. Icing and the presence of five passengers and their baggage may have degraded the aircraft's performance.

The pilot's familiarity with the destination may be a factor. A review of flight records showed this was the first time the aircraft had flown to this airport in the previous six months.

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Todd Curtis and John Goglia discuss a fatal air tour helicopter crash near New York City that killed all six people on board, including a family of five from Spain. They examine several witness videos plus ADS-S data in their analysis.

The crash happened on April 10, 2025, three days before this episode was recorded. The flight was apparently routine until the helicopter suddenly rotated and crashed. Pieces of the aircraft, including the tail boom and the rotor blades, separated from the aircraft before it crashed into the Hudson River.

Air tour operators are allowed to operate flights under Part 91 regulations, although the leasing company operated under Part 135 regulations that have a higher standard for inspections and maintenance. 

The aircraft was over 20 years old and leased from a company in Louisiana. The NTSB will likely interview anyone from the two companies involved with maintaining the aircraft.

Given the circumstances of the crash, maintenance issues may have caused the accident. In addition to live lives lost, leading to concerns about the mental health effects this may have on those who maintained the helicopter. John has experienced incidents where maintainers may have harmed themselves because of their role in maintenance-related accidents.

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Want to go deeper with the Flight Safety Detectives? Join our YouTube Membership program for exclusive perks like members-only live streams and Q&As and early access to episodes. Your membership support directly helps John, Greg and Todd to deliver expert insights into aviation safety.

Interested in partnering with us? Sponsorship opportunities are available—brand mentions, episode integrations, and dedicated segments are just a few of the options. Flight Safety Detectives offers a direct connection with an engaged audience passionate about aviation and safety. Reach out to [email protected].

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Inflight icing may have been a factor in the recent fatal crash of a TBM 700. Relying on publicly available ADS-B data and video from a nearby home, Todd Curtis, John Goglia, and Greg Feith discuss icing and other issues that may have affected the pilot and the aircraft.

The TBM 700, a single-engine turboprop aircraft, crashed outside of Minneapolis. The aircraft was expected to land at the Anoka County–Blaine Airport. 

The pilot, the sole occupant of the aircraft, had departed from Naples, Florida, earlier that day and spent about 36 minutes on the ground at Des Moines, Iowa, before heading to the Minneapolis area. The length of the flight day may have affected the pilot as well as the quality of the information the pilot had about weather conditions.

The discussion analyzes the flight's ADS-B data from the last leg of the flight, which shows that the aircraft was in a controlled descent heading for the intended runway. The aircraft entered a shallow left turn before departing from controlled flight and entering a high-angle descent before crashing into a nearby home. 

The high pilot workload during this phase of flight, the low visibility, and possible pilot fatigue or other physical conditions may have led to the pilot losing awareness of his air speed. Greg compares this event to the 1994 icing-related crash of an ATR 72 in Indiana and the SilkAir crash in Indonesia in 1997.

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Interested in partnering with us? Sponsorship opportunities are available—brand mentions, episode integrations, and dedicated segments are just a few of the options. Flight Safety Detectives offers a direct connection with an engaged audience passionate about aviation and safety. Reach out to [email protected].

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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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Want to go deeper with the Flight Safety Detectives? Join our YouTube Membership program for exclusive perks like members-only live streams and Q&As and early access to episodes. Your membership support directly helps John, Greg and Todd to deliver expert insights into aviation safety.

Interested in partnering with us? Sponsorship opportunities are available—brand mentions, episode integrations, and dedicated segments are just a few of the options. Flight Safety Detectives offers a direct connection with an engaged audience passionate about aviation and safety. Reach out to [email protected].

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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.

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.

Want to go deeper with the Flight Safety Detectives? Join our YouTube Membership program for exclusive perks like members-only live streams and Q&As and early access to episodes. Your membership support directly helps John, Greg and Todd to deliver expert insights into aviation safety.

Interested in partnering with us? Sponsorship opportunities are available—brand mentions, episode integrations, and dedicated segments are just a few of the options. Flight Safety Detectives offers a direct connection with an engaged audience passionate about aviation and safety. Reach out to [email protected].

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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.

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.

Want to go deeper with the Flight Safety Detectives? Join our YouTube Membership program for exclusive perks like members-only live streams and Q&As and early access to episodes. Your membership support directly helps John, Greg and Todd to deliver expert insights into aviation safety.

Interested in partnering with us? Sponsorship opportunities are available—brand mentions, episode integrations, and dedicated segments are just a few of the options. Flight Safety Detectives offers a direct connection with an engaged audience passionate about aviation and safety. Reach out to [email protected].

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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.

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.

Want to go deeper with the Flight Safety Detectives? Join our YouTube Membership program for exclusive perks like members-only live streams and Q&As and early access to episodes. Your membership support directly helps John, Greg and Todd to deliver expert insights into aviation safety.

Interested in partnering with us? Sponsorship opportunities are available—brand mentions, episode integrations, and dedicated segments are just a few of the options. Flight Safety Detectives offers a direct connection with an engaged audience passionate about aviation and safety. Reach out to [email protected].

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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.

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.

Want to go deeper with the Flight Safety Detectives? Join our YouTube Membership program for exclusive perks like members-only live streams and Q&As and early access to episodes. Your membership support directly helps John, Greg and Todd to deliver expert insights into aviation safety.

Interested in partnering with us? Sponsorship opportunities are available—brand mentions, episode integrations, and dedicated segments are just a few of the options. Flight Safety Detectives offers a direct connection with an engaged audience passionate about aviation and safety. Reach out to [email protected].

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