Uploaded March 2025 | Updated September 2026, 20 hours ago
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.
Music: “Inspirational Sports” license ASLC-22B89B29-052322DDB8
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.
Music: “Inspirational Sports” license ASLC-22B89B29-052322DDB8





![Smart Pilot Makes Bad Decision and Pays with His Life - Episode 268
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.
Music: “Inspirational Sports” license ASLC-22B89B29-052322DDB8 Smart Pilot Makes Bad Decision and Pays with His Life - Episode 268](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ujYKumP6scE/mqdefault.jpg)




