Former US Air Force and NASA Flight Surgeon Dr. Gregory Rodgers discusses first-hand experiences with the NASA space shuttle program. Among his efforts, he helped change NASA procedures that endangered shuttle crews.

Among his efforts to improve space safety, Dr. Rogers tried to convince NASA to add a repair kit to Shuttle missions to deal with the ongoing issue of protective heat-resistant tiles being damaged during missions. Part of his effort was to write the book "Impact," a fictional novel about a shuttle that was severely damaged and unable to return to Earth. The book was published in 1995. The shuttle in the book was Columbia, which was lost in 2003 due to heat shield damage sustained shortly after liftoff.

He also shares details of a flight test of a disc-shaped vehicle with USAF markings that displayed extraordinary flight characteristics. He kept this 1992 experience to himself for over 30 years until speaking publicly about it in May 2025.

John Goglia adds his experience at the NTSB investigating a possible collision between either an unknown exotic aircraft or a UAP and a general aviation aircraft off the coast of Florida. The wreckage had paint transfer marks that could not be associated with any known aircraft.

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Yesterday’s special episode generated a lot of questions about the Air India preliminary report. Facts in hand, the Flight Safety Detectives tackle them head on.

The preliminary report does not identify any issues with the aircraft that directly contributed to the crash. It focuses on the actions taken by the flight crew.

Hear more detail on why the design of fuel cutoff switches makes it unlikely that a mechanical or electrical issue led to the engine shutdown. The most logical cause was action taken by at least one flight crew member.

John Goglia, Todd Curtis and Greg Feith address concerns and questions generated from previous Flight Safety Detectives episodes. They continue to use the facts in the preliminary report to describe what happened, particularly the actions taken and statements made by the pilots.

The analyses provided by others online and in the media, particularly by airline pilots, often lack a depth of understanding of the aircraft technology, how it works and how it could fail. The detectives continue to provide sound analysis of available information.

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The preliminary report on the June 12, 2025, fatal crash of an Air India 787 is most notable for what is unstated, vague, and even misleading. The detectives start with the omission of who turned off the engines just after takeoff. Their list of unanswered questions grows from there.

This crash appears to not be an accident, but rather an intentional act by at least one member of the flight crew. The engines were shut down shortly after takeoff. Although at least one pilot took actions to restart both engines, neither engine could generate thrust before the aircraft crashed less than a mile from the airport.

The report has telltale signs that those writing the report had motives other than to provide factual information about the event and the investigation. Errors and vaguely worded statements in the report make it appear that someone other than an aviation safety professional wrote or approved the report.

Just a few of the issues Greg Feith, John Goglia and Todd Curtis highlight:

• The report did not specify which pilot shut down the engines just after takeoff, even though the voice and data recorders likely had enough information to determine that.
• The report does not say whether other people were in the cockpit other than the two pilots.
• No reason is given as to why Air India was excluded from the investigation.
• An aviation psychologist is listed as one of the subject matter experts on the investigation team, implying that a psychological or even psychiatric issue was a factor in this crash.

In summary, the report points to an event that was not an accident, but a deliberate action.

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