Meeting an NTSB Aviation Accident Report Writer

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This week I had the opportunity to attend the Aerospace Department's Fall 2018 Safety Symposium! Kathy Gagne was the guest seeker and she has had much experience in the NTSB aviation department. Kathy explained that she started in the NTSB as a part of the "Go Team", investigating on a regional scale. Now, she works at the NTSB's headquarters and writes accident reports for major accidents across the U.S. I think one of the most interesting aspects of Kathy's job is the fact that she is a part of a very small group of NTSB aviation workers who is qualified to use drones at accident scenes. Kathy also discussed some of her background in aviation. She received pilot training at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
One big takeaway I had from her speech was her message to all the pro pilot students to work as hard as possible on becoming a pilot, no matter the obstacles.
The presentation itself was also quite interesting. Kathy highlighted several accidents as case studies, though I thought the most interesting was an accident that occurred in a professional pilot program at a university as a result of miss-rigging. I was able to watch a video in which the students involved in the accident were interviewed as well as the mechanic who miss-rigged the aircraft. This was definitely a compelling video, as it showed how the student pilots were able to overcome their situation through effective teamwork. As a pro pilot student, this was an interesting accounting to hear. Overall, the Safety Symposium was a fantastic event.

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