I’m sure many of you have watched the videos and heard the air traffic control tower audio of the audacious commandeering of a Horizon Air Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on the evening of August 10. If you haven’t heard the full audio, you really should listen to it. The Sea-Tac controller handled an extremely dangerous situation in an impressive manner: calm, professional, and probably most important, empathic in a situation that I can’t believe he was ever trained for. Kudos to him.
Some of you who don’t work on an airport might have even been surprised that a ground service agent could gain access to an airline aircraft and take off from a major U.S. airport with the sole purpose, apparently, of one last joyride before committing suicide. For me, and I’m sure others who have worked on aviation security issues, the fact that an airline’s aircraft could be stolen so easily from a major airport was far from surprising. And the fact that the thief was an airline employee was not a big surprise at all.
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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