When an Air Asia Airbus A320-216 on a routine flight from Surabaya, Indonesia, to Singapore crashed on Dec. 28, 2014, killing 162 people, many experts suspected that bad weather at the time might have played a role. The media interest was intense at first, as the accident so closely followed the mysterious disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. But media attention flagged once the aircraft was found in the waters off the coast of Indonesia. A crash in a part of the world deemed by Americans to be remote, and with no Americans on board, doesn’t usually interest the media here for very long. MH370, of course, was different. The disappearance of a modern jetliner was as riveting for the general public as for the aviation world.
But even in the aviation community, the crash of Air Asia Flight 8501 seemed to be quickly forgotten. That’s a mistake. All accidents have something we can learn from. Especially when there are so few accidents, those that occur need to be thoroughly examined for any information that can help us prevent future ones. When human factors are involved, it’s particularly worth reviewing. Regardless of where in the world an accident occurs, the human element remains the same.
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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