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Partners and Programs:

FLIGHT SAFETY FOUNDATION HEADQUARTERS

701 N. Fairfax Street, Suite 250,
Alexandria, Virginia 22314

Phone: +1 703 739 6700 Fax: +1 703 739 6708

Podcasts

Welcome to the Foundation’s podcast page. Below you will find interviews with safety experts from around the industry on a range of topics of interest to aviation safety professionals. New podcasts will be added as they are recorded. The views expressed in the podcasts are those of the speakers, and not necessarily those of the Foundation.

If you have a topic that you believe would be of interest to the aviation community, please get in touch with Vice President, Global Programs, Greg Marshall at marshall@flightsafety.org. Interviews can be conducted in-person at our head office or via Skype.

Accident Investigation

AAIB: ‘Insufficient Height’ for Airshow Maneuver

The Hawker Hunter that crashed during an Aug. 22, 2015, airshow in Shoreham, England, and killed 11 people on the ground, failed to achieve the necessary height during its final maneuver, the U.K. Air Accidents Investigation Board (AAIB) says.

In its final report on the accident, the AAIB identified the insufficient altitude as a causal factor in the accident, along with the pilot’s failure to conduct an escape maneuver “despite the aircraft not achieving the required minimum apex height.”

Eleven people — airshow bystanders and people on a nearby road — were killed. The pilot and 12 other people were injured.

The accident occurred during a maneuver that involved “both a pitching and a rolling component, which commenced from a height lower than the pilot’s authorized minimum for aerobatics, at an airspeed below his stated minimum, and proceeded with less than maximum thrust,” according to the report, issued in early March.

The report added that the pilot apparently did not realize that the airplane was too low to complete the maneuver.

“An analysis of human performance identified several credible explanations for this, including: not reading the altimeter due to workload, distraction or visual limitations such as contrast or glare; misreading the altimeter due to its presentation of height information; or incorrectly recalling the minimum height required at the apex.”

A video intended to help visualize the the aircraft’s final maneuver has been posted on the AAIB website.

Photo credit: U.K. Air Accidents Investigation Board

FSF Editorial Staff. March 8, 2017

News, Midair Collisions (MAC), Accident Investigation

NTSB Releases Factual Report on Fatal 2015 Midair Collision

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Tuesday released a factual report on the July 7, 2015, fatal midair collision of a Cessna 150M and a U.S. Air Force Lockheed Martin F-16CM. NTSB also opened a public docket  for its ongoing investigation of the crash.

The two aircraft collided in visual meteorological conditions near Moncks Corner, South Carolina, at 1101 local time. The Cessna was destroyed, and the pilot of the aircraft and a passenger were killed. The damaged F-16 continued to fly for three minutes before its pilot ejected. The pilot landed safely, and the aircraft was destroyed when it crashed.

More information is available on AOPA Online.

NTSB said analytical findings, probable cause and suggested safety improvements for this midair collision, along with those for an Aug. 16, 2015, midair collision involving a Cessna 172M and a North American Rockwell Sabreliner near San Diego, are slated to be presented for approval during a public meeting of the board on Nov. 15.

The Cessna 172M and the experimental NA265-60SC Sabreliner collided in midair about one mi (2 km) northeast of Brown Field Municipal Airport in San Diego. The pilot of the Cessna and the two pilots and two mission specialists aboard the Sabreliner died and both aircraft were destroyed. More information on the accident is available here

Frank Jackman. November 2, 2016