One of the things we talk about in the Current Topics in Aviation course I co-teach at Vaughn College of Aeronautics is how to report safety issues without being labeled a whistleblower or, worse, being fired. It’s an important issue for anyone entering a field where safety is so important and the “penalties” for being labeled a whistleblower can be high. Even the federal Whistleblower Protection Act covers only a small segment of the industry: airlines and their contractors. Some states might also have some protections for workers. But they all involve complicated and expensive legal processes to prove retaliation for whistleblowing and to recover damages. It can take years and years. So, while in some cases whistleblowing is the only way to stop an unsafe practice (and I do admire those individuals who put their jobs at risk to report safety problems), the best approach whenever possible is to find a way to raise safety issues–and get them acted upon–without being labeled a troublemaker or whistleblower.
In our course, we usually begin the conversation about how to raise safety issues “safely” after watching the excellent PBS documentary Flying Cheap, which grew from the crash of Continental Flight 3407, a commuter codeshare flight operated by Colgan Air. The Feb. 12, 2009 crash killed all 49 people on board and one person on the ground when the aircraft stalled and dived into a neighborhood just outside Buffalo, N.Y. In addition to analyzing in depth a number of safety problems with the airline that might have alerted the FAA and Colgan management to the problems that ultimately led to the crash, the documentary highlights whistleblowers at both Colgan and the FAA and the way they were treated by their respective employers. To put it simply: not well.
With more than 40 years experience in the aviation industry, The Honorable John Goglia, was the first and only Airframe and Powerplant mechanic to receive a presidential appointment to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). He served from August 1995 to June 2004.
As a Board Member, Mr. Goglia distinguished himself in numerous areas of transportation safety. In particular, he was instrumental in raising awareness of airport safety issues, including the importance of airport crash fire and rescue operations and the dangers of wildlife at airports. He played a key role in focusing international attention on the increasing significance of aircraft maintenance in aviation accidents. He pressed, successfully, for greater integration of civilian and military safety information, becoming a featured speaker at national aviation symposiums attended by military leaders and major defense contractors. He is a leading proponent of airplane child safety seats.
Prior to becoming a Board Member, Mr. Goglia held numerous positions in the airline industry. He started as a mechanic for United Airlines and eventually joined Allegheny, which became USAir. Additionally, he was involved for more than 20 years as a union flight safety representative on accident investigation teams. There, he developed a safety program for his union, the International Association of Machinists, and was its representative for NTSB investigations. For twelve years, he operated his own aircraft service company.
Numerous prestigious groups have recognized Mr. Goglia’s contributions to aviation safety. Aviation Week & Space Technology awarded him a coveted 2004 Laurel for his outstanding service as an NTSB Board member. The Society of Automotive Engineers presented him with the Aerospace Chair Award for outstanding leadership in 2003 and the Marvin Whitlock Award for outstanding management accomplishment in 2002.
