The Conversation at AirSafe.com Podcast

Dr. Curtis interviewed by Rudy Maxa on 31 May 2014 about the search for flight MH370

TheConversation@airsafe.com (Dr. Todd Curtis) — Sat, 31 May 2014 09:43:00 -0700

In this May 31, 2014 interview with Rudy Maxa's World, Dr. Todd Curtis of AirSafe.com discussed recent developments in the search for flight MH370, the Malaysia Airlines 777 that disappeared in early March 2014.

The Australian government, which is leading the effort to find the missing aircraft, had recently suspended the search and had announced that it would take about two months to conduct a thorough mapping of a section of the Indian Ocean seafloor before resuming the search.

Listen to the interview (5:11)
Additional details about flight MH370

For more information on airline safety, visit AirSafe.com or AirSafeNews.com.

Malaysia Ministry of Transport releases preliminary report on flight MH370

TheConversation@airsafe.com (Dr. Todd Curtis) — Thu, 1 May 2014 08:41:00 -0700

27 April 2014 - In this ABC Radio Australia interview, Todd Curtis of AirSafe.com discussed comments made by a former Malaysian Prime Minister about Boeing's role in the investigation, and about the design of the 777. In short, former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad laid the blame for the loss of the aircraft on Boeing, and not on Malaysia Airlines.

Interview with KickSat designer Zac Manchester

TheConversation@airsafe.com (Dr. Todd Curtis) — Sat, 26 Apr 2014 14:25:00 -0700

This interview with Zac Manchester of KickSat took place on 26 April 2014, just over a week after the KickSat satellite was successfully launched from Cape Canaveral.

The KickSat satellite carries over 100 miniaturized satellites called Sprites (including AirSafe.com's first satellite), and these will be deployed later in the mission.

Sprite miniature satellite

In the interview, Zac discusses the planning and development process for KickSat, the technology that made the miniaturized Sprite satellites possible, and the volunteer network of radio operators who will detect the signals from the Sprites once they deploy.

Listen to the interview with KickSat's Zac Manchester

For additional information, including links for plans to build your own Sprite satellite, please visit kicksat.airsafe.com

Interview with Dr. Richard Haines of NARCAP

TheConversation@airsafe.com (Dr. Todd Curtis) — Tue, 3 Sep 2013 22:43:00 -0700

Last month, Dr. Todd Curtis interviewed Dr. Richard Haines, the chief scientist of NARCAP, where they discussed his organization's efforts to reduce threats to aviation caused by unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP).

Dr. Haines, who founded the organization in 1999, provided several examples of why unidentified aerial events may have put aircraft and their occupants at risk in the past, and also explained that such events happen to a significant fraction of active airline pilots. Dr. Haines also encouraged crew members who have observed such events to contact his organization at narcap.org and file a report on any past sightings.
Listen to the interview (1:01:28)

NARCAP resources and research studies
NARCAP advice to pilots
Report unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP)
NARCAP technical reports

Relevant conference about unidentified aerial phenomena
From June 29-30, 2013, the Center for UFO Research held a symposium on the scientific investigation of unidentified aerial phenomena and UFOs in Greensboro, NC. Featured speakers included high-level officials, including Dr. Haines, a retired Belgian major general, and an Iranian Air Force fighter pilot.

Interview with Cockpit Confidential author Patrick Smith

TheConversation@airsafe.com (Dr. Todd Curtis) — Thu, 30 May 2013 09:43:00 -0700

Patrick Smith, airline pilot and author of the recently released book Cockpit Confidential, sat down with Dr. Todd Curtis of AirSafe.com to discuss his latest work, and to share his thoughts on other issues facing the airline industry.

Listen to the Patrick Smith interview

Buy the Book Today!

Resources
Read the full article at AirSafeNews.com
Buy the book today!

Crash of a National Airlines 747-400 in Afghanistan

TheConversation@airsafe.com (Dr. Todd Curtis) — Mon, 27 May 2013 04:46:00 -0700

29 April 2013; National Airlines; 747-400; N949CA; Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan: The aircraft had just departed on a cargo flight to Dubai, UAE when the aircraft entered a stall and crashed near the end of the runway. All seven crew members were killed. Cargo included several vehicles. Although the aircraft was flying in support of coalition forces in Afghanistan, there is not indication that the crash was caused by hostile action.

Watch the video

Listen to the report

Resources
Read the full article at AirSafeNews.com
747 Plane Crashes

Dr. Curtis discussed the grounding of the 787 on Fox Business Network

TheConversation@airsafe.com (Dr. Todd Curtis) — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 10:50:00 -0800

On Friday 18 January 2013, Dr. Todd Curtis of AirSafe.com was interviewed on the Fox Business Network show 'Money with Melissa Francis' where he discussed the recent grounding of the 787 and the things that would have to happen for the public to regain confidence in this aircraft.

Issues included loss of consumer confidence, potential problems with the new battery technology used in the 787, the aircraft certification process, reducing aircraft risksand how passenger fears can be reduced.

Interview links
Hear the Fox Business Network interview (also available at http://www.airsafe.com/podcasts/show127-fox-money-18-jan-2013.mp3)

Watch the Fox Business Network interview

Photo credits: Fox Business News

Dr. Curtis interview about FAA rules on passenger electronics

TheConversation@airsafe.com (Dr. Todd Curtis) — Thu, 24 May 2012 08:39:00 -0700

An April 19, 2012 bird strike near JFK brings up issues about FAA rules on the use of electronic devices by passengers, and why those rules may have to change.

The issue was the FAA response to a video posted by a passenger that showed the birds striking the aircraft. For details on that story, including the video shot by the passenger, check out the AirSafeNews.com article on this event.

You can also listen to the interview Dr. Curtis gave to WTOP radio about this event.

BBC interview on new laser penalties

TheConversation@airsafe.com (Dr. Todd Curtis) — Fri, 3 Jun 2011 23:52:00 -0700

On 1 June 2011 the FAA announced that it will now use a rule originally used against someone on board the aircraft who interfered with a flight crew, and apply it to people on the ground who deliberately point lasers at aircraft. With this change, someone who points a laser at an aircraft can be fined up to $11,000.

The program The World Today from the BBC interviewed Dr. Curtis about some the issues associated with pointing lasers at pilots (5:02).

While this threat to aircraft has not resulted in a crash of a military aircraft, airliner, or private aircraft, flashing a laser at an aircraft could compromise aviation safety by distracting or incapacitating pilots during critical phases of flight. For more on this issue, including links to FAA studies on the effects of lasers on pilots, check out the AirSafeNews.com article on the FAA's new laser rules.

Interview with Rudy Maxa about the biggest plane crashes of 2010

TheConversation@airsafe.com (Dr. Todd Curtis) — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 10:48:00 -0800

In this January 8, 2011 interview with Rudy Maxa's World, Dr. Todd Curtis of AirSafe.com discussed the most significant plane crashes and noteworthy safety and security events of 2010, including the crash of an A330 in Libya with a sole survivor, a near midair collision over Burbank, and the absence of fatal passengers events of airlines of the US and Canada.

Listen to the interview
Plane crashes and significant events of 2010

For more information on airline safety, visit AirSafe.com or AirSafeNews.com.

Two recent BBC interviews featuring Dr. Curtis of AirSafe.com

TheConversation@airsafe.com (Dr. Todd Curtis) — Sat, 6 Nov 2010 00:03:00 -0700

British Airways chairman calls for changes to US security procedures
On October 26, 2010, at the annual conference of the U.K. Airport Operators Association. British Airways chairman Martin Broughton called for changes to the security requirements for international flights bound for the US. He claimed that a number of elements in the current security program, including separate checks of laptop computers and forcing people to take off their shoes for screenting are completely redundant and should reviewed. He also pointed out that the requirements for international flights to the US and domestic flights within the US were not consistent.

The following day, Dr. Todd Curtis of AirSafe.com spoke with the BBC radio program Europe Today about Broughton's concerns and why these security differences exist. Also interviewed in the following segment was former British Airways executive Jamie Bowden.
Listen to the interview (8:30)

Related AirSafeNews.com Articles
AirSafeNews.com article on the attempted bombing
Description of four key US terrorist and TSA security databases
US security rules and baggage restrictions

Two Qantas Engine Failures near Singapore
This BBC Radio 5 interview with Dr. Todd Curtis of AirSafe.com on November 5, 2010 came in the wake of two unusual engine failure events. On November 4, 2010, a Qantas A380 had an engine failure about 15 minutes after taking off from Singapore's airport. The following day, a Qantas 747 had another failure about two minutes after taking off from the same airport. Both planes landed safely.
Listen to the interview (3:34)

Related information
Significant Qantas events

BBC Interview About Attempted Bombing of Northwest Flight 253

TheConversation@airsafe.com (Dr. Todd Curtis) — Sat, 9 Jan 2010 00:29:00 -0800

As the investigation into the unsuccessful bombing of Northwest Airlines flight 253 enters its early stages, there are already several security issues that are being discussed by the media, including short term security measures and issues with US government terrorist databases.

Listen to the interview (4:09)

The Bombing Attmept on Northwest Flight 253 and TSA's Accidental Release Secret and Sensitive Security Information

TheConversation@airsafe.com (Dr. Todd Curtis) — Fri, 8 Jan 2010 00:27:00 -0800

After the unsuccessful bombing attempt last week on Northwest Airlines Flight 253, not much is known for sure, including how the suspect was able to overcome all the various layers of security. One possibility was that the information accidentally released earlier this year by TSA may have helped the suspect.

The TSA manual was reviewed by Dr. Curtis of AirSafe.com, and there did not appear to be any obvious or even indirect connection between the actions of the suspected bomber and the information in the manual.

The video and audio podcast below provides an overview of the information that was in the manual, and the links at the bottom of the article go to previous AirSafeNews.com articles on the TSA manual, as well as to the edited and unedited versions of the TSA manual. AirSafeNews.com encourages its readers to review the information, and to contact AirSafeNews.com if they have any insights or opinions on either the TSA manual release, or the recent bombing attempt.

Video and Audio Podcast Links (2:23)
Audio: MP3 | Video: iPod/MP4 | WMV | YouTube

WGN Radio Interview About Attempted Bombing of Northwest Flight 253

TheConversation@airsafe.com (Dr. Todd Curtis) — Thu, 7 Jan 2010 00:24:00 -0800

As information about the unsuccessful bombing of Northwest Airlines flight 253 continues to be uncovered, some are questioning the usefulness of some of the security measures being implemented, and whether profiling may be needed to deter attacks. The following interview was with WGN radio in Chicago on 29 December 2009

Listen to the interview (14:39)

CHQR Radio Interview About Attempted Bombing of Northwest Flight 253

TheConversation@airsafe.com (Dr. Todd Curtis) — Wed, 6 Jan 2010 00:23:00 -0800

Dr. Curtis and host of the Calgary Today show Whitney Dean of CHQR radio in Calgary, Canada discuss a number of issues related to the Christmas day bombing attempt on Northwest flight 253, including Nigerian airline security, a review of US terrorists databases, and the technologies and procedures that are currently used to prevent airliner bombing attempts. The following interview took place on 29 December 2009.

Listen to the interview (16:10)

Video for AirSafe.com Airline Safety Review 2009

TheConversation@airsafe.com (Dr. Todd Curtis) — Tue, 5 Jan 2010 11:22:00 -0800

The podcasts associated with the AirSafe.com airline safety review for 2009 are currently available as audio and video files that you can either download or play below. Please feel free to reuse them for any noncommerical use. You can read the review in a previous AirSafeNews.com article or at 2009.airsafe.org.

Video and Audio Podcast Links (7:51)
Audio: MP3 | Video: iPod/MP4 | WMV | YouTube

The Evolution of Social Media's Role at AirSafe.com - Video

TheConversation@airsafe.com (Dr. Todd Curtis) — Mon, 9 Nov 2009 08:53:00 -0800

An earlier AirSafeNews.com article featured an audio podcast that discussed the role social media played in how the public found out about the January 2009 ditching of a US Airways A320 on the Hudson River. This article features a video based on a presentation that AirSafe.com's Dr. Todd Curtis gave at the 2009 Bird Strike North America conference. This show provides a general definition of social media and then provides specific examples of how it was used by AirSafe.com to expand the site's audience and to enhance the usefulness of its information.

Video and Audio Podcast Links (7:01)
Audio: MP3 | Video: iPod/MP4 | WMV | YouTube

Related AirSafeNews.com Articles
How AirSafe.com Uses Social Media
Social Media Insights from AirSafe.com
Social Media's Role in Airline Safety

Additional Social Media Resources
AirSafe.com Creates Online Radio Station
Social Media's Role in Airline Safety
How AirSafe.com Uses Twitter with a Mailing List
Ten Free Social Media Things You Can Do
AirSafe Media's Social Media Blog.

New AirSafe.com Blog
AirSafe.com recently launched the blog FlightsGoneBad.com, which features complaints from the AirSafe.com Complaint System and other news and information about passenger service and airport security issues.

Two Recent Scary Incidents: Northwest Airlines A320 Overflies Airport and Delta 767 Lands on Taxiway by Mistake

TheConversation@airsafe.com (Dr. Todd Curtis) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 21:15:00 -0700

This episode reviews two events from the week of October 19, 2009 that could have become major airline disasters. In Atlanta, a 767 landed on the taxiway instead of the runway, and in Minneapolis an airline crew stopped communicating with the outside world for over an hour while flying past its destination by well over 100 miles.

More detailed descriptions of these two incidents are in the AirSafeNews.com article from 23 October 2009. The podcast of this article, which you will find below, is a bit unusual. Until now, the Conversation at AirSafe.com has always been hosted by Dr. Todd Curtis. This show features a computer-generated voice. We ask you to listen to the show and evaluate it for us.

Northwest Airlines A320 Overflies Airport and Delta 767 Lands on Taxiway by Mistake (4:37)

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The Evolution of AirSafe.com's Use of Social Media - Why You or Your Organization Should Follow That Example

TheConversation@airsafe.com (Dr. Todd Curtis) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 07:42:00 -0700

The January 2009 ditching on the Hudson River showed how important social media was as a source of news and information, and it also showed how freely available social media resources can sometimes allow an individual to be as influential as the largest news media organization. This show provides a general definition of social media and then provides specific examples of how it was used by AirSafe.com to expand the site's audience and to enhance the usefulness of the site's information.

This episode of the Conversation at AirSafe.com is based on a presentation Dr. Todd Curtis gave at the 2009 Bird Strike North America Conference in Victoria, Canada. The original audience was full of aviation safety professionals and wildlife biologists, but the subject of the presentation was relevant to any organization trying to figure out how to use social media more effectively.

Listen to the Podcast
The Evolution of Social Media's Role at AirSafe.com (7:02)

The role of social media in aviation safety community was previously covered in this site, as well as at the AirSafe.com site BirdStrikeNews.com

Previous AirSafeNews.com Articles
How to Include Free AirSafe.com Content in Your Site
AirSafe.com Creates Online Radio Station

Previous BirdStrikeNews.com Articles
Social Media's Role in Airline Safety
How AirSafe.com Uses Twitter with a Mailing List
Ten Free Social Media Things You Can Do

Another site with related information is AirSafe-Media.com.

Show Transcript
Welcome to the Conversation at AirSafe.com, I'm your host Dr. Todd Curtis

This is show #99 - The Evolution of Social Media's Role at AirSafe.com

This show is based on a presentation I gave at the 2009 Bird Strike North America Conference in Victoria, Canada. The original audience was full of aviation safety professionals and wildlife biologists, but what I talked about is relevant to any organization trying to figure out how to use social media more effectively.

In the aviation safety world, the January 2009 ditching of a US Airways flight in the Hudson River was a rare combination of a spectacular plane crash that generated massive worldwide attention without killing anyone. It was also big wake up call to the aviation safety community about the growing importance of social media to their work.

As many of you know, the plane went down as a result of a midair collision with a flock of geese shortly after takeoff from New York's La Guardia Airport. While most people were impressed by the skill of the pilots and the response of the rescuers, the event served as an excellent example of how popular social media applications like Twitter have changed how the public finds out about newsworthy events.

While the accident took place in New York City, on the doorsteps of the biggest and most important mass media organizations in the United States, many of the early images from the crash didn't come from the traditional news media, but from witnesses. One of the most well known photos was from the cell phone camera of Janis Krums, a passenger on one of the ferry boats that helped to rescue passengers and crew. The picture was quickly uploaded from Janis's iPhone and became one of the most famous images from the accident.

Twitter wasn't the only social media application working overtime that day. Video sharing sites like YouTube were flooded with user-generated content that collectively had hundreds of thousands of views within a day.

The "Miracle on the Hudson" showed how an average eyewitness of a dramatic news event like a plane crash can easily distribute images and other newsworthy information that could reach hundreds of thousands in a matter of minutes, something that only a large media company could do only a few years ago.

This crash also showed that organizations that use the Internet to communicate with the public needed more than just a web site or a blog to keep their online audience informed. They need more than web sites and blogs because that audience is using emerging social media tools to develop different kinds of ongoing relationships with other users, and to find news and other information.

You might be asking yourself, what the heck is social media? The quick answer is that social media is any online resource or personal computer software that lets you easily create, share, or consume online content with others. Many of the tools are based online, don't charge for the service, and don't force you to have any kind of specialized knowledge to make them work.

Some examples you might know are blogging tools like Blogger and WordPress, microblogging tools like Twitter, video sharing sites like YouTube, and document sharing services like Google Docs.

Now that you know what it is, you might ask yourself why should I care? The biggest reason is that social media is changing online behavior by giving individuals and small groups the ability to connect with other people that was either not possible or very difficult even a few years ago. The last reason is that it adds a whole lot of online capabilities that you can use to your advantage.

Let me explain with an example from AirSafe.com. When the site was first launched in 1996, communication was mostly in one direction, from the web site to the world. Online publishing was very resource intensive, and the best tools were controlled by large organizations.

The best option I had for contacting individuals was email. The only way I could communicate with groups was with the web site. The site was like a Swiss army knife because it had to do several different things for the audience. The only major function that was outside of the site was the mailing list, which was managed by a third-party service provider.

In the early years, search engines played a huge role because that was how most people found the site. Like many sites, AirSafe.com suffered from mission creep, with more and more functions and content being added to the site until things got out of hand.

What social media does is take some of the functions, especially marketing and communications-related functions, and puts them outside of the web site.

For AirSafe.com's transition to using social media, I still kept the basic web site plus the mailing list, and search engines were still a key partner, but I set out to figure out which of the many social media tools would do something useful for the site.

I chose some to play a support role, like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Flickr, and others to play a more central role like Blogger, Feedburner, and Twitter.

Here's how social media changed how I used my mailing list. Before, I'd use the mailing list to tell subscribers about news items or to tell them about new content on the site. Now I use a blog site that has all those news items and update notices. I also use Feedburner, a service that can do many things, including creating code that I could put into any web site and use to automatically generate updated links to the news blog.

When a new article is posted in the blog, Feedburner sees it and tells the mailing list system and Twitter to inform all of the subscribers, while adding links in the web site that point back to the blog article.

Adding resources like Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook expanded the reach of the site by providing additional opportunities for potential audience members to begin their relationship with AirSafe.com.

I went from a system where I had to manually update most of the site to one where a single action, like adding to the news blog, automatically updates several web sites and social media accounts, including Facebook, and sends messages to mailing list and Twitter subscribers.

Growing the audience was also easier, because every additional social media tool gave me new ways of attracting and serving a larger audience.

Another question you may have about social media is what's in it for me? In the AirSafe.com example, using social media cut down on the workload and extended the site's reach. Social media tools also gave AirSafe.com additional ways to share content, and to address different audience needs. In AirSafe.com's case, that meant having the ability to reach out to those who didn't want to rely on search engines or email announcements to stay in touch.

Yet another question you may have is why should I do anything new in social media? There are two simple reasons. First, the trends in online behavior are clearly moving toward the use of social media. Facebook and Twitter are two of the biggest household names, but there are dozens of other services that are out there that give businesses and individuals many more options for communicating and getting work done. Second, you have to stay ahead of the competition. Ignoring social media today could be as least as dangerous as ignoring search engines a few years ago, or ignoring the web a few years before that.

If you don't include social media as part of your online plan, you will just make it harder for your online efforts to work for you, and easier for your competitors to take away your audience or your customers.

For additional information about how AirSafe.com has used social media, and suggestions for social media tools you should consider using, visit socialmedia.airsafe.org.

Thanks for listening, and we'll see you next time.

Jet Airliners with Lowest Fatal Crash Rates

TheConversation@airsafe.com (Dr. Todd Curtis) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 02:25:00 -0700

The previous entry on the AirSafe.com News described the September 2009 update AirSafe.com's listing of fatal plane crash rates by model. The video and audio podcast below discusses the aircraft models with the lowest rates. There are links to the video on YouTube and to downloadable versions of the podcast in MP3, MP4, and WMV formats.

Video and Audio Podcast Links (2:57)

Audio: MP3 | Video: iPod/MP4 | WMV | YouTube

Additional Resources
Plane Crash Rates by Model
Recent Fatal Plane Crashes

Five Lowest Jet Airliner Crash Rates

TheConversation@airsafe.com (Dr. Todd Curtis) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 01:33:00 -0700

Listen to the audio podcast of this article

In its latest update of fatal plane crash rates by aircraft model, AirSafe.com has identified the top five models with the lowest fatal crash rates. The analysis uses flight data through the end of 2008, and crash data through August 2009.

Computing these crash rates was based on more than just the number of fatal crashes. The formula that was used also looked at the proportion of passengers killed in each crash. For example, if an airliner model had two fatal crashes in two million flights, and all the passengers were killed in one crash and half in the second, then the rate would be 1.5 planeloads killed divided by two million flights, or 0.75 per million flights.

Candidates for the AirSafe.com top five ranking were limited to jet airliner models with at least two million flights through the end of 2008. Only events that killed passengers were counted.

At number five is the Canadair Regional Jet, number four is the previous generation of the Boeing 737, which includes the 737-300, 737-400, and 737-500. Number three was the Airbus A320 series, number two is the current generation of the Boeing 737, which includes the 737-600, 737-700, 737-800, and 737-900 aircraft.

Topping the list at number one is the Boeing 777. In service since 1995, this model has had just over two million flights and no fatal crashes.

Four other jet aircraft models all have less than two million flights, and like the 777 have not been involved in a crash that has killed passengers. Two are from Airbus, the A340 and A380, and the other two are the Embraer 170 and 190. These last two aircraft types are smaller jets frequently used by regional carriers in North America and Europe.

For more information on fatal plane crash rates, including details on how the rates are calculated, please visit rates.airsafe.org.

Social Media's Role in Airline Safety

TheConversation@airsafe.com (Dr. Todd Curtis) — Sat, 5 Sep 2009 23:12:00 -0700

In this show, Dr. Todd Curtis discusses the role that social media applications like Twitter, YouTube, and podcasts have had in shaping the public's relationship to aviation safety issues. Using the example of the January 2009 ditching of a US Airways aircraft in the Hudson River, the show discusses why any organization that intends to influence aviation safety policy or the aviation safety community should embrace these emerging technologies in order to better serve their members and the general public.

Listen to the podcast
Full transcript and additional resources

Air France Flight 447 - the BBC Interviews

TheConversation@airsafe.com (Dr. Todd Curtis) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 09:00:00 -0700

After more than a month, most of the wreckage and many of the victims of Air France Flight 447 remain lost at sea. The public's and the media's attention remain focused on the the causes of the crash and on the recovery of the black boxes.

This podcast features two interviews with Vincent Dowd from the BBC World Service. In the first interview on June 12th, 2009, we discussed several issues, including differences in flight control philosophy between Airbus and Boeing, and how aircraft manufacturers respond when one of their airplanes crash.

In the second interview, recorded on June 23rd 2009, we discussed the progress of the accident investigation. We also talked about how the circumstances of this accident showed how it may be possible to use advanced technologies to supplement or even replace the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder.

Please listen to the interviews, and feel free to send your comments or questions to AirSafe.com.

Resources
Listen to the Interviews (18:38)
Additional Accident Information
Other Air France Plane Crashes
Other Airbus A330 Plane Crashes
Earlier AirSafe.com Audio and Video Podcasts About the Accident

NTSB Hearings on the Buffalo Plane Crash

TheConversation@airsafe.com (Dr. Todd Curtis) — Tue, 19 May 2009 09:39:00 -0700

On May 12th, 2009, the NTSB began a three-day public hearing about its ongoing investigation into the fatal February 2009 crash of a Continental Connection airliner in Buffalo, NY. Among the issues that came up were the possible roles of crew fatigue and crew training in the accident. During the last day of the hearing, noted aviation consultant Mike Boyd and I sat down with host Dave Berns of the "State of Nevada" program on KNPR radio in Las Vegas.

KNPR Interview on 14 May 2009 (15:21)

Additional Information
NTSB Public Docket on the Investigation
Accident Details from AirSafe.com
Todd Curtis book Understanding Aviation Safety Data

Emirates A340 Accident Report Released

TheConversation@airsafe.com (Dr. Todd Curtis) — Tue, 19 May 2009 09:37:00 -0700

On 20 March 2009, an Emirates A340 aircraft, with 275 passengers and crew on board, was involved in a tail strike accident during takeoff from Melbourne, Australia. The aircraft suffered some damage, but there were no injuries to anyone on board. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) recently released preliminary findings that indicated that an incorrect weight had been used when making performance calculations prior to departure. The calculations were based on a takeoff weight that was 100 tons below the actual takeoff weight of the aircraft.

This is the first accident involving an Emirates A340. Previously, in 2004, there was an Emirates A340 incident involving a runway overrun in Johannesburg, South Africa.

What sets this preliminary report apart from most is that the ATSB releases substantially more information at this stage than most accident investigation authorities. While the NTSB sometimes releases this level of preliminary information for major accidents that have tremendous media attention, it has not provided that kind of detail for other kinds of accidents.

Below are links to an audio of the ATSB press conference about the release of this report, a summary of the accident, and other accident details.

Abstract of Preliminary Report
Media Release from 30 April 2009
Preliminary Accident Report
Audio of ATSB Briefing from 30 April 2009 (21:10)
Other A340 Plane Crashes
Other Emirates Safety Events