Flight Safety Detectives

Episode 13The 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 coul... Read more

Episode 12John and Greg share observations from their recent visit to Boeing headquarters. During executive briefings they asked the same tough questions they pose in their podcasts, sometimes stumping the experts. They share how the visit validated the observations they have shared about the LionAir and Ethiopian Airline crashes. They also found more details that are important to finding the answers that will lead... Read more

Episode 11The holiday season is a busy time for air travel. John and Greg advise that patience and planning can minimize the stress of holiday travel and help you arrive safely.

Episode 10John and Greg explore what was said and what wasn’t said when Boeing executives recently spent two days on Capitol Hill testifying before congress. Their take: the hearings were an emotional platform for congressmen to point fingers, not an opportunity for fact finding. As always, John and Greg use the podcast format to go deeper than 30 second soundbites. They talk in detail about the questions that need... Read more

Episode 9The Indonesian National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC) has released its final report regarding the crash of Lion Air Flight 610 and John and Greg are far from satisfied. One thing is clear to these aviation experts: the focus was on returning the plane over and over again to revenue service, rather than fixing known issues.  In this episode, John and Greg focus on critical maintenance issues, some ... Read more

Episode 8John and Greg take listeners inside NTSB aircraft accident investigations. They use the case of Valujet Flight 592 to illustrate how the process works and the types of issues encountered. The parties and technical experts involved can be forthcoming and not so helpful, with serious consequences. They also highlight how these investigations uncover the facts that can lead to everything from criminal proceedings to new safet... Read more

Episode 7Accidents and other issues created by distracted driving make headlines across the country. Prompted by listener questions, John and Greg talk about the issue of distractions and flight safety. They share recent incidents and observations involving pilots, mechanics and line crews where distractions of cell phones, iPads and cockpit technology are creating room for mistakes. Is “distracted flying” leading to more things be... Read more

Episode 6Pilot training and confidence is everything when it comes to safety in the air according to this week’s guest, Captain Chinar Shah. She’s a professional pilot, flying for more than 19 years,13 as a pilot in the airline ranks including a number of months in the Boeing 737 Max.   Shah used to fly for Jet Airways in India. She converted her license in the U.S. with the FAA and she has seen all sides of training in th... Read more

Episode 5Flight safety Detectives Greg Feith and John Goglia welcome Kathy Yodice, Managing Partner, Law Offices of Yodice Associates, for a lively discussion of aviation regulations and legalities. An important theme is the role that maintenance and maintenance technicians play in airplane safety for both air carriers and general aviation.

Episode 4In their latest podcast (#4) Former NTSB Board Member John Goglia and former NTSB Lead Investigator Greg Feith dissect the recently released Boeing 737 MAX Safety recommendations issued by the NTSB. The Detectives criticize the recommendations because they task the FAA and aircraft manufacturers with “dumbing down” the latest generation commercial airplanes to make up for the incompetent or unqualified pilots who may be fl... Read more

Episode 3 "In the US we have the NTSB which is an independent investigative authority.  Ethiopia does not have that. How is it that that they are going to be held accountable?"  "Some preliminary information...indicates that the AoA vane (an exterior part that measures the plane's angle of attack) was in question - either it failed on takeoff or because of a possible bird strike."   Ca... Read more

Episode 2 "That was a brand new airplane. If they had a problem, why didn't they go back to Boeing for a brand new part?" "Many airlines today are outsourcing both line maintenance and their heavy base maintenance functions." "While the services can be outsourced, the accountability and and responsibility must remain with the operator!" Flight Safety Detective... Read more

Episode 1 Why would two guys with 100 years of flight safety experience between them want to dive back into the politics, the technology, the human factors and other aspects of the worldwide aviation industry? Because, often, it's a matter of life and death and billions of dollars are at stake.  In the debut episode, John Goglia and Greg Feith tell you why this podcast series is taking flight, they discuss crit... Read more