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 chosen to fly a non-standard missed approach because it would take less time than the published approach.Greg shares firsthand experience and knowledge of the performance of MU-2 aircraft. Several years ago, he evaluated MU-2 models for safety issues and found that many previous accidents in these models were due to issues with the pilot, not the aircraft.This aircraft was being flown by a single pilot in IFR conditions. Flying single-pilot IFR in actual IFR conditions is a challenge for any pilot under normal circumstances. Temperatures were just above freezing at neighboring airports and there was snow in the area at the time of the crash. Icing and the presence of five passengers and their baggage may have degraded the aircraft's performance.The pilot's familiarity with the destination may be a factor. A review of flight records showed this was the first time the aircraft had flown to this airport in the previous six months.
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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 flights under Part 91 regulations, although the leasing company operated under Part 135 regulations that have a higher standard for inspections and maintenance. The aircraft was over 20 years old and leased from a company in Louisiana. The NTSB will likely interview anyone from the two companies involved with maintaining the aircraft.Given the circumstances of the crash, maintenance issues may have caused the accident. In addition to live lives lost, leading to concerns about the mental health effects this may have on those who maintained the helicopter. John has experienced incidents where maintainers may have harmed themselves because of their role in maintenance-related accidents.
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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 Moines, Iowa, before heading to the Minneapolis area. The length of the flight day may have affected the pilot as well as the quality of the information the pilot had about weather conditions.The discussion analyzes the flight's ADS-B data from the last leg of the flight, which shows that the aircraft was in a controlled descent heading for the intended runway. The aircraft entered a shallow left turn before departing from controlled flight and entering a high-angle descent before crashing into a nearby home. The high pilot workload during this phase of flight, the low visibility, and possible pilot fatigue or other physical conditions may have led to the pilot losing awareness of his air speed. Greg compares this event to the 1994 icing-related crash of an ATR 72 in Indiana and the SilkAir crash in Indonesia in 1997.
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Just Released! Report on Plane Crash in Toronto Examined - Episode 264
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 had a wingtip strike in similar wind conditions at LaGuardia airport. The similarities between the Toronto and LaGuardia incidents may direct investigators to look at the airline's training.The preliminary report covers key aspects of the crew's training and experience. The first officer was the pilot flying the flight and had fewer than 1,500 total flight hours. In the 30 days prior to the accident, the first officer had about 10 times as many flight hours as the captain.The report does detail the captain's role in the Toronto crash. Was he performing duties typical of the non-flying pilot or coaching the first officer? Was he prepared to take control of the aircraft? Unlike the NTSB, the Canadian TSB may only publish a summary of the cockpit voice recorder conversations and not the full transcript. The person who recorded a video of the crash sequence from an aircraft close to the crash scene should submit that video to the TSB for use in the investigation. The video might help the investigation.
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Engine Trend Monitoring as a Safety Tool - Episode 263
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 overhauls, but that this did not violate regulations in Brazil.Greg Feith discusses his plan to buy a new airplane and why he is planning to include a monitoring program for his aircraft.
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World-renowned aviation-industry consultants and former NTSB investigators John Goglia and Greg Feith have 100 years of worldwide aviation safety experience between them. In this hard-hitting podcast series they talk about everything aviation -- from the behind-the-scenes facts on deadly air crashes to topics of interest such as tips and tricks for navigating through airports and security, traveling with infants and children, unruly passengers, and packing your bags to ease through security.
Netherlands