The ideas for articles frequently come from comments made by you, my readers. While most of you don’t post comments online, a number email me, some call me and quite a few talk to me when you bump into me at an aviation event, at an airport or even on airplanes. I can’t count the number of times crewmembers have stopped to say something about a recent AIN article or even just that they read my articles. And I appreciate all of you who take the time to talk to me, but the ones I find most flattering, I admit, are the ones who say they turn to Torqued first when their copy of AIN arrives.
This article grew out of a number of comments that were made in response to my November Torqued about personal accountability for time management. That article stemmed from the NTSB’s report on the Aug. 14, 2013 UPS A300 that crashed just short of the runway in Birmingham, Ala. The report determined that a contributing factor was “the first officer’s fatigue due to acute sleep loss resulting from her ineffective off-duty time management.” It also found that although the first officer knew she was tired, she didn’t call and report her fatigue under UPS’s fatigue policy.
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.
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