Flight Safety Detectives

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.

...

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 c...

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...

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 Moi...

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...

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...

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 pu...

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 m...

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 s...

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...