Greg Feith

Gregory Allen "Greg" Feith (born August 5, 1957^[1]) is an American former Senior Air Safety Investigator (now retired) with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). During his time at the NTSB, Feith worked as an Air Safety Investigator (Field) Unit Supervisor, Regional Director, and Senior Air Safety Investigator.

Career

Feith earned his Bachelor of Science 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 21,223 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.^[2] He was the Investigator in Charge of the NTSB "Go-Team" from 1993 to 2001. In 2016, Feith was inducted as a member of the Living Legends of Aviation.^[3]

Feith is a pilot himself, and owns and flies his Piper PA-24 Comanche.^[4] He has a vehicle registration plate of "CRASH1". ^[4]

Media

Feith has appeared on several television series, such as the Canadian documentary series Mayday (also known as Air Emergency in the United States and Air Crash Investigation in other parts of the world), Survival in the Sky, and, most recently, Seconds from Disaster. 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.

Notable accident investigations

• Aloha Airlines Flight 243
• American Airlines Flight 1420^[5]
• American Eagle Flight 4184
• British Airways Flight 9
• Eastern Air Lines Flight 980
• Korean Air Flight 801^[6]
• SilkAir Flight 185
• Swissair Flight 111
• ValuJet Flight 592

Awards

• 1996: Laurel Award from Aviation Week and Space Technology Magazine for "Outstanding Operations" for leadership during the conduct of the ValuJet Flight 592 investigation in the Florida Everglades
• 2001: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Distinguished Alumni Award
• 2003: SAFE Association, Michael R. Grost Award
• 2016: Inducted as a Living Legend of Aviation at the 13th Annual Living Legends of Aviation Awards.^[3]

References