Seven Todd Curtis interviews about the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17

In the immediate aftermath of the crash of a large airliner, there is typically an intense focus on the event by the world's media.

In the case of the crash in eastern Ukraine of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17; a Boeing 777 that was traveling between Amsterdam, Netherlands and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; there was ample circumstantial evidence that the jet was shot down by a surface to air missile, but this was not directly confirmed within the first two days after the crash.

The crash occurred in an area of active military activity in eastern Ukraine, and no official investigative bodies were able to examine the crash site or the aircraft wreckage. In spite of that situation, there was substantial video and photographic evidence that clearly indicated that the aircraft experienced a catastrophic inflight breakup prior to impact.

Todd Curtis of AirSafe.com was interviewed over a dozen times in the first 48 hours after the crash. Seven of those interviews, which were conducted from 17-19 July 2014, were compiled into the latest podcast episode from AirSafe.com.

The media organizations in the podcast episode included the following:

• 17 July 2014
  - BBC World (TV)
  - BBC Five Live (radio)
  - NTN 24 La Tarde (see video below)
  - BBC WM 95.6 (radio)
• 18 July 2014
  - CKNW Vancouver, BC (radio)
  - CJAD Montreal (radio)
• 18 July 2014
  - CTV News Channel Canada (TV)

Resources
Seven Todd Curtis interviews about flight MH17
Boeing 777 crashes
AirSafe.com MH370 page
Other AirSafe.com podcasts
Flight MH17 Wikipedia page
Crash rates by airliner model
AirSafe.com podcast home page
Listen to the podcast on TunIn

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NTN 24 La Tarde interview (Spanish)

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Three BBC interviews about DHS security enhancements for selected flights from Europe to the US

On July 2, 2014, the Department of Homeland security directed the TSA to implement enhanced security measures at certain overseas airports with direct flights to the United States. These changes were in response to intelligence information that suggested that one or more groups were attempting to detonate explosive devices on one or more aircraft traveling from the US from Europe. These measures were being implemented in the UK, and in other countries, though TSA and Homeland Security did not go into further details.

The Standard newspaper in the UK reported that the threat may be from “stealth” bombs that can't be detected using the screening technologies commonly used by airports. Other media outlets speculate that the devices may be built into specific mobile phone models, or that the people carrying these devices may be passport holders from the US and other western countries. However, this is speculation that has not been either confirmed or denied by official sources in the US and elsewhere.

On July 2nd and 3rd, Todd Curtis of AirSafe.com was interviewed several times by the BBC about several issues that were raised by this latest security situation.

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Interview on Rudy Maxa's World
Todd Curtis was also interviewed on this issue on July 5, 2014 on Rudy Maxa's World.

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Interview on July 7, 2014 with the Wall Srteet Journal

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You can also find additional airline security information at http://security.airsafe.com, or at the following links:

• Airport Security Issues
• Prohibited and restricted items
• AirSafe.com air travel guides

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FAA controllers sleeping on the job may have many causes

On April 14, 2011, after several very public and very embarrassing incidents involving air traffic controllers falling asleep on the job, FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt accepted the resignation of Hank Krakowski, who was the manager of the FAA's air traffic control organization. Babbitt promised to perform a full review of how the air traffic control system was operated, and several political leaders, most notably President Obama, did their best to neutralize the traveling publics concerns by emphasizing their concern about the situation and their determination to ensure that the air traffic control system remains safe.

The recent public concern about sleeping controllers, which started last month after two aircraft had to abort landings because of a sleeping controller at Washington's National Airport, may bring to light some of the underlying reasons why controllers may be falling asleep. One of those reasons may be the FAA's policy for staffing air traffic control positions. One reason may have been the policy that allowed single controllers to staff control towers at major airports during late night shifts when there are few aircraft taking off or landing. The policy was recently changed, but the FAA's policy of rotating the shifts that a controller may work, for example working for several days in a row on a morning shift before rotating to either an earlier or a later shift, may play a role in controller fatigue.

Possible Roles of Fatigue and Obstructive Sleep Apnea
One possible issue, one that the FAA has long recognized, is the role that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in causing degraded pilot performance, including increased sleepiness. This problem isn't limited to pilots, but one that is often associated with obesity. Both the NTSB and the FAA have also been concerned about the role of fatigue in aviation safety, with the NTSB highlighting air traffic controller fatigue as one of its Most Wanted Transportation Safety Improvements.

Part of FAA's response to those related NTSB safety recommendations was a 2008 FAA symposium on fatigue where the FAA brought together a number of subject matter experts to discuss fatigue’s effects on flight crews, maintenance personnel, and air traffic controller, including the effect of rotating shifts on air traffic controller performance.

Dr. Todd Curtis of AirSafe.com discussed these and other issues on the BBC radio program Newshour on April, 14, 2011.

BBC Interview with Dr. Todd Curtis (4:30)
Audio: MP3 | YouTube

Additional Resources
2008 FAA fatigue symposium (index of proceedings)
Obstructive sleep apnea
FAA brochure on obstructive sleep apnea
FAA brochure on the effects of fatigue in aviation

BBC Interview About Attempted Bombing of Northwest Flight 253

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)

Air France Flight 447 - the BBC Interviews

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

Interview on the BBC Show 'The World Today' - 7 April 2008

This interview from the BBC show The World Today focused on issues that the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee discussed in their hearings that started on April 3rd, 2008. Topics covered included the role of whistleblowers in the FAA and whether the FAA is doing their job of protecting those who fly.

You can download the episode directly at http://www.airsafe.com/podcasts/show46_bbc.mp3.
You can also find other AirSafe.com podcasts at podcast.airsafe.org

Other Resources
Notes from shows on related subjects