A lifelong aviation enthusiast who joined&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;in 2007, Curt came to&nbsp;the publication&nbsp;from the broadcast industry where he was a national science and technology television reporter and producer. He writes on the FBO field, aviation finance, and sustainable aviation and occasionally contributes to&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;sister publication&nbsp;Business Jet Traveler. Curt was a member of the AINtv reporting staff that won the 2008 Aerospace Journalist of the Year award for Best Airshow Daily. That same year, he was a finalist for another AJOYA award. He earned an AJOYA for Best Business Aviation Submission in 2018 and was a finalist in that category in 2021. He received the National Air Transportation Association’s&nbsp; Aviation Journalist Award in 2012 and won a Pegasus Sapphire Business Aviation Award for outstanding journalism in 2021.
Before joining AIN, Curt worked with&nbsp;Consumer Reports’ television division, CRTV, and for several local television news staffs. An honors graduate of the State University of New York at Stony Brook, he earned a master’s degree in broadcast journalism from Boston University in 1995. Curt lives in New York State with his wife and two young sons.

Business Aviation Services Editor

Curt Epstein

With AIN Media Group's&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;and its predecessor&nbsp;Aviation Convention News&nbsp;celebrating the company's&nbsp;<a href="http://ainonline.com/50-years" target="_blank">50th year</a>&nbsp;of continuous publication this year, AIN’s editorial staff is going back through the archives each month to bring readers some interesting events that were covered over the past half-century.
REWIND: (AIN November, 1999 p.1) Once again, the death of a high-profile personality in the crash of a private aircraft has focused the public’s concern and speculation about the safety of “small planes.” It happened to the small GA airplane industry when JFK Jr crashed in his Piper Saratoga earlier this year. Now it’s happening to the business aviation community as a result of last month’s crash of a Learjet 35 in which pro golfer Payne Stewart and the five other people on board were killed.
FASTFORWARD: Air traffic controllers lost communication with the jet about 15 minutes after it took off from Orlando, Florida, on Oct. 25, 1999 on a planned flight to Dallas. The NTSB report concluded that it suffered a loss of pressurization for “undetermined reasons,” rendering all aboard unconscious as the Learjet climbed to cruising altitude. The jet flew on autopilot for about four hours until it ran out of fuel and crashed in a field in South Dakota. The NTSB report showed that the airplane had undergone maintenance related to cabin pressure several times in the months leading to the accident, but the Safety Board failed to determine whether a common problem led to the need for the parts replacements and repairs.

News about significant aircraft accidents and information from accident reports.

Flashback: Pressurization failure suspect in fatal Learjet 35 accident

We look back at some memorable events and coverage from AIN's half-century-old archives.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Amy Wilder

News and issues concerning general aviation, specifically airplanes and helicopters powered by piston and alternative engines (i.e., non-turbine powered aircraft). Subjects include aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

Cockpit voice recorder did not record accident flight

Citation Pilot Descended below Minimums in 2023 Accident

News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

Attendant knew how to open hatch in spite of no formal training

Attendant Led Pax through Baggage Door after 2024 Crash

Matt Thurber

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

Crashed jet’s engine data appeared to mirror hung start characteristics

Naples Accident Docket Reveals Focus on Hung Starts

Chad Trautvetter

News about bills, laws, regulations and other governmental decisions affecting aviation and aerospace. Topics include FAA re-authorizations, taxes on fuel and aviation activities, environmental legislation, ICAO decisions, governmental mediation of labor conflicts and World Trade Organization disputes and decisions.

News and information on safety procedures and concerns.

With both engines out, crew landed twinjet on I-75 South in Florida Gulf Coast city

CL604 Pilots Had 75 Seconds between Engine Warnings and Crash

David Jack Kenny

Preliminary and final accident reports, August 2025

Business Aircraft Accident Reports: September 2025

Charles Alcock

News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

EASA has published new data in its 2025 Annual Safety Review

European Fatal Air Accidents Rise with Traffic Levels

New developments at airports including regulations and noise issues; legal disputes; openings, acquisitions and mergers.

News and issues concerning the aviation charter and fractional-ownership industries and markets, including company announcements, regulations, new developments and labor issues.

More In Accidents

Citation Pilot Descended below Minimums in 2023 Accident

Cockpit voice recorder did not record accident flight

Attendant Led Pax through Baggage Door after 2024 Crash

Attendant knew how to open hatch in spite of no formal training

Naples Accident Docket Reveals Focus on Hung Starts

Crashed jet’s engine data appeared to mirror hung start characteristics

CL604 Pilots Had 75 Seconds between Engine Warnings and Crash

With both engines out, crew landed twinjet on I-75 South in Florida Gulf Coast city

Business Aircraft Accident Reports: September 2025

Preliminary and final accident reports, August 2025

European Fatal Air Accidents Rise with Traffic Levels

EASA has published new data in its 2025 Annual Safety Review

UK’s Birmingham Airport Closed after B200 Emergency Landing

Crew and passenger escape unharmed after landing on failed main gear

Medevac King Air Crashes on Approach to Arizona Airport

Operator previously had no reportable incidents or accidents in its 46-year history

AIN Products

SUBSCRIPTIONS

RESOURCES

ABOUT AIN