Greg Allen Feith | |
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Born | August 5, 1957 |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University |
Occupation(s) | Aviation Safety Consultant TV Analyst |
Years active | 1980–present |
Known for | Air Crash Investigations |
Television | Mayday , Seconds from Disaster , Why Planes Crash , NBC, MSNBC |
Honours | Living Legends Of Aviation Inductee 2016 |
Website | http://aircrashdetective.com |
Gregory Allen Feith is an American former Senior Air Safety Investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). He currently works as a consultant on aviation safety and security matters in the private sector, and as the aviation expert for NBC and MSNBC. He also serves as the technical advisor in a number of television programs such as Mayday (also known as Air Disasters in the United States and Air Crash Investigation in other parts of the world), Seconds from Disaster , and Why Planes Crash while maintaining a busy speaking schedule. [1] [2]
Feith earned his bachelor's degree in aeronautical studies from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, where he currently remains on faculty. Early in his career, Feith was the U.S. Accredited Representative and Team Leader of six American investigators who climbed Mt. Illimani to an elevation of 20,098 feet MSL in 1985, to conduct the on-scene wreckage examination of Eastern Air Lines Flight 980, a Boeing 727. This is the highest accident site in commercial aviation history. [3] He was the Investigator in Charge of the NTSB "Go-Team" from 1993 to 2001. In 2014 Feith was inducted as a member of the Living Legends of Aviation. [4]
Feith is a pilot himself, and owns and flies his Piper PA-24 Comanche. [5] He has a vehicle registration plate of "CRASH1". [5]
Feith has appeared on several television series, such as the Canadian Documentary series Mayday (also known as Air Disasters in the United States and Air Crash Investigation in other parts of the world), Survival in the Sky , Seconds from Disaster and Why Planes Crash. He hosted his own short-lived series Secrets of the Black Box on the History Channel, highlighting the major investigations that he led, along with the controversial and conspiracy theory-riddled KAL007 investigation. He appeared in a made-for-TV movie Crash: The Mystery of Flight 1501 as the co-pilot of the ill-fated DC-9. He is well known for his frequent public speaking engagements at schools, aviation groups and trade associations. In his spare time, he hosts Hangar Flying Today, a radio program in Denver, Colorado, near where he currently resides. Feith contributes articles to Business & Commercial Aviation magazine, including “Avoiding The Beast Below,” September 2002. He appears regularly as a guest aviation safety and security expert on KUSA-TV, NBC, MSNBC, while maintaining a busy speaking schedule with The Aviation Speakers Bureau. As of 2020, he hosts, along with former NTSB member John Goglia, the Flight Safety Detectives podcast. [6]
Feith is married to Kim Christensen, anchor of Channel 9News, Denver, and a former Miss Colorado. They have a son, Tanner. [9] [10] [11] Feith had a white dog, named Sky King, taken by a neighbor allegedly demanding a $10,000 ransom for its return. [12] [13]
The New York Times ran a story highlighting air crash investigators for their telegenic appearances and heroic roles in pursuit of the "noble mission: solving crashes to save lives by preventing future accidents", giving personal attention to Greg Feith, recounting how, during his investigations into the Valujet crash in the Everglades, he was given the nickname "Mud Stud" and profiled in news stories. The articles written about him noted his Cadillac with the license plate CRASH1, fan mail from female admirers, and that he was single, with the caveat that he was married. [1]
Feith is a donor to organizations including Shades of Blue, a nonprofit giving underprivileged children the chance to experience flight and AOPA, and develops safety products, among them LapKidz for inflight child seat restraints and drowning accident prevention of children in bathtubs. [14]
Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 182 was a scheduled flight on September 25, 1978, by Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA), from Sacramento to San Diego (SAN), with a stopover at Los Angeles (LAX). The aircraft serving the flight, a Boeing 727-214, collided mid-air with a private Cessna 172 over San Diego, California. It was Pacific Southwest Airlines' first fatal accident, and it remains the deadliest air disaster in California history. At the time, it was the deadliest air crash to occur in the United States, and remained so until the crash of American Airlines Flight 191 in May 1979.
ValuJet Airlines Flight 592 was a regularly scheduled flight from Miami to Atlanta in the United States. On May 11, 1996, the ValuJet Airlines McDonnell Douglas DC-9 operating the route crashed into the Florida Everglades about ten minutes after departing Miami as a result of a fire in the cargo compartment probably caused by mislabeled and improperly stored hazardous cargo. All 110 people on board were killed.
American Airlines Flight 965 was a regularly scheduled flight from Miami International Airport in Miami, Florida, to Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport in Cali, Colombia. On December 20, 1995, the Boeing 757-200 flying this route crashed into a mountain in Buga, Colombia, around 9:40 pm killing 151 of the 155 passengers and all eight crew members.
Aloha Airlines Flight 243 was a scheduled Aloha Airlines flight between Hilo and Honolulu in Hawaii. On April 28, 1988, a Boeing 737-297 serving the flight suffered extensive damage after an explosive decompression in flight, caused by part of the fuselage breaking due to poor maintenance and metal fatigue. The plane was able to land safely at Kahului Airport on Maui. The one fatality, flight attendant Clarabelle "C.B." Lansing, was ejected from the airplane. Another 65 passengers and crew were injured. The substantial damage inflicted by the decompression, the loss of one cabin crew member, and the safe landing of the aircraft established the accident as a significant event in the history of aviation, with far-reaching effects on aviation safety policies and procedures.
United Airlines Flight 585 was a scheduled passenger flight on March 3, 1991, from Denver to Colorado Springs, Colorado, carrying 20 passengers and 5 crew members on board. The plane experienced a rudder hardover while on final approach to runway 35 at Colorado Springs Municipal Airport, causing the plane to roll over and enter an uncontrolled dive. All 25 people on board the Boeing 737 were killed on impact.
United Airlines Flight 811 was a regularly scheduled international flight from Los Angeles to Sydney, with intermediate stops at Honolulu and Auckland. On February 24, 1989, the Boeing 747-122 serving the flight experienced a cargo-door failure in flight shortly after leaving Honolulu. The resulting explosive decompression blew out several rows of seats, killing nine passengers. The aircraft returned to Honolulu and landed without further incident.
USAir Flight 1016 was a regularly scheduled flight in the southeastern United States, between Columbia, South Carolina, and Charlotte, North Carolina. On July 2, 1994, the flight encountered heavy thunderstorms and microburst-induced windshear while attempting to land, and crashed into heavy trees and a private residence near the airport. The crash and ensuing fire caused 37 fatalities and seriously injured 20 others.
Continental Airlines Flight 1713 was a commercial airline flight that crashed while taking off in a snowstorm from Stapleton International Airport in Denver, Colorado, on November 15, 1987. The Douglas DC-9 airliner, operated by Continental Airlines, was making a scheduled flight to Boise, Idaho. Twenty-five passengers and three crew members died in the crash.
Southern Airways Flight 242 was a flight from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, to Atlanta, Georgia, with a stop in Huntsville, Alabama. On April 4, 1977, it executed a forced landing on Georgia State Route 381 in New Hope, Paulding County, Georgia, United States, after suffering hail damage and losing thrust on both engines in a severe thunderstorm.
United Airlines Flight 173 was a scheduled flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City to Portland International Airport in Portland, Oregon, with a scheduled stop in Denver, Colorado. On December 28, 1978, the aircraft flying this route ran out of fuel while troubleshooting a landing gear problem and crashed in a suburban Portland neighborhood near NE 157th Avenue and East Burnside Street, killing 10 people on board.
Continental Express Flight 2574 was a scheduled domestic passenger airline flight operated by Britt Airways from Laredo International Airport in Laredo, Texas to Houston Intercontinental Airport (IAH) in Houston, Texas. On September 11, 1991, the Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia turboprop, registered N33701, crashed while initiating its landing sequence, killing all 14 people on board. The aircraft wreckage hit an area near Eagle Lake, Texas, approximately 65 miles (105 km) west-southwest of the airport.
Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2311 was a regularly scheduled commuter flight in Georgia in the southeastern United States, from Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport to Glynco Jetport in Brunswick on April 5, 1991.
USAir Flight 427 was a scheduled flight from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport to Palm Beach International Airport, Florida, with a stopover at Pittsburgh International Airport. On Thursday, September 8, 1994, the Boeing 737 flying this route crashed in Hopewell Township, Pennsylvania while approaching Runway 28R at Pittsburgh, which was USAir's largest hub at the time.
United Express Flight 5925, operated by Great Lakes Airlines with a Beechcraft 1900 twin turboprop, was a regularly scheduled flight from Chicago O'Hare International Airport to Quincy, Illinois, with an intermediate stop in Burlington, Iowa. On November 19, 1996, the aircraft collided on landing at Quincy with another Beechcraft, a private King Air, that was taking off from an intersecting runway. Fourteen people were killed as a result.
Provincetown-Boston Airlines Flight 1039 was a scheduled passenger flight from Jacksonville International Airport in Jacksonville, Florida, to Tampa International Airport, Florida. On December 6, 1984, the plane crashed upon takeoff at Jacksonville, killing all 13 passengers and crew.
Robert Llewellyn Sumwalt III is an American academic, aviator, government official and writer. He was a board member of the National Transportation Safety Board for over 15 years, from August 2006 to June 30, 2021, serving as the agency's chairman from 2017 to 2021. He currently serves as the executive director of Embry-Riddle's Boeing Center for Aviation and Aerospace Safety.
On September 23, 1985, Henson Airlines Flight 1517 crashed in Grottoes, Virginia, while on approach to the Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport. The two pilots and twelve passengers were killed.
Trans-Colorado Airlines Flight 2286 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Denver, Colorado, United States, to Durango, Colorado, United States, operated for Continental Express by Trans-Colorado Airlines. On January 19, 1988, Flight 2286 crashed onto terrain near Bayfield, Colorado, while on approach to Durango-La Plata County Airport. Out of the 17 people on board, 9 were killed, including both crew members.
The 1984 San Luis Obispo mid-air collision was an accident involving a Beechcraft C-99 Commuter and a Rockwell Commander 112 near San Luis Obispo, California, United States on August 24, 1984. None of the combined 17 passengers and crew on either aircraft survived the accident.