Turkish Airlines Plane Crash in Amsterdam

25 February 2009; Turkish Airlines 737-800; Amsterdam, Netherlands: The aircraft, on a scheduled international flight from Istanbul, Turkey, to Amsterdam, Netherlands crashed in a field about a mile (1.6 km) short of the runway. The fuselage was broken into three major sections, and both engines were torn off. There was apparently no post crash fire. Three crew members, including both pilots, were killed, as were at least six others among the 135 passengers and crew members.

AirSafe.com's Initial Report on this Accident
Audio: MP3 | Video: iPod/MP4 | WMV | Google Video | YouTube

Additional information about this event.

For more videos, visit the AirSafe.com YouTube channel.

Managing a Podcast Using the AirSafe.com System

As many of you know, AirSafe.com has created podcasts for over two years. One of the major milestones was going from audio only to a mix of audio and video episodes. Over time, there have been modest improvements in the technical quality of the podcast, but there have been great improvements in expanding the audience and streamlining the production process.

To give you an example of the changes, views and downloads of the video version of the podcast went from zero two years ago to an average of about 20,000 per month in early January 2009 (before the Miracle on the Hudson). This increase in views was almost certainly not due to the high production values. Most AirSafe.com video podcast episodes are little more than a narrated slide show with lots of bullet points, a few pictures, and even fewer video clips.

There were two keys to expanding the audience for the podcast. The first was having a systematic process for producing episodes. The second was the consistent application of a common sense marketing strategy, the foundation of which was using free online resources such as video sharing sites such as YouTube, podcast distribution through iTunes, and the strategic use of blogs and free online press releases to build interest in the podcast.

These lessons learned, production procedures, and marketing insights have been included in the AirSafe.com Podcasting Manual, a draft of which is available as a free download from AirSafe.com. This step-by-step guide was designed to give any group or individual the foundation to create an audio or video podcast, put that podcast on iTunes, YouTube and elsewhere, and to do so without spending much money.

Feel free to download a free copy of this manual at http://www.airsafe.com/classes/airsafe-podcasting-manual-draft.pdf. It is a working draft, so any advice you can provide to improve the document would be greatly appreciated.

But Wait, There's More!
The podcasting manual isn't the only thing offered at AirSafe.com. You can find a number of other free AirSafe.com resources, including advice on dealing with airport security, insights on fear of flying, and a free copy of the book Parenting and the Internet, at http://www.airsafe.com/airsafe-resources.pdf

Updates to Two Most Recent Continental Crashes

AirSafe.com just finished updating the status of the 20 December 2008 crash of a Continental Airlines 737-500 at Denver. The aircraft, which was on a scheduled flight to Houston's Intercontinental Airport, departed the runway during takeoff and skidded across a taxiway and a service road before coming to rest in a ravine several hundred yards from the runway. The aircraft sustained significant damage, including a post crash fire, separation of one engine and separated and collapsed landing gear. There were about 38 injuries among the 110 passengers and five crew members, including two passengers who were seriously injured. Because this did not involve the death of an airline passenger, this is a significant event as defined by AirSafe.com

Below are the audio and video versions of the podcast.

Continental Airlines Accident in Denver
Audio: MP3 | Video: iPod/MP4 | WMV | Google Video | YouTube

For more videos, visit the AirSafe.com YouTube channel at video.airsafe.org.

Additional Information on the Buffalo Accident
The site added a page with fatal and significant events involving the Dash 8 model airliner, the same model involved in the fatal 12 February 2009 crash in Buffalo, NY.

Additional information about both the Buffalo and Denver events is available at http://www.airsafe.com/events/airlines/cal.htm

Continental Connection Crash in Buffalo

The aircraft, a scheduled flight from Newark, NJ and operated by Colgan Air, crashed in a residential area about five miles from the airport. At least one house on the ground was destroyed. All 44 passengers and four crew members were killed, along with one person on the ground.

AirSafe.com's Initial Report on this Accident
Audio: MP3 | Video: iPod/MP4 | WMV | Google Video | YouTube

Additional information about this event.

For more videos, visit the AirSafe.com YouTube channel.

Interview with Bird Strike Expert Dr. Ron Merritt

On January 18th, 2009, three days after the bird strike related ditching of US Airways Flight 1549 in New York, Dr. Todd Curtis of AirSafe.com interviewed bird strike expert Dr. Ron Merritt. He's currently the president of Detect, Inc., which manufactures bird strike avoidance radars. Dr. Merritt was also at one time the military commander of US Air Force unit responsible for understanding and reducing bird strike hazards to Air Force aircraft. During this wide ranging conversation, they discus a variety of bird strike and wildlife hazard topics, including the need for wildlife experts in the US Airways accident investigation team, wildlife control policy issues, and the history of the key bird strike organizations in the US and Canada.

Listen to the interview with Dr. Merritt

For more information on the accident, including videos and background information on bird strike hazards and airliner ditchings, visit:
hudson.airsafe.org

Interview on the Escapes Radio Talk Show

On February 9th, 2009, Dr. Todd Curtis of AirSafe.com was interviewed on the "Escapes" radio show hosted by Ann Lombardi of the the Trip Chicks, who along Wendy Swartzell run the Atlanta area travel company Passport to Adventure. During the show, we discussed several of the issues around the previous month's ditching accident involving a US Airways A320 in New York, including what can be done about bird strike hazards, and how passengers should deal with fear of flying.

Listen to the interview

For more information on the accident, including videos and background information on bird strike hazards and airliner ditchings, visit:
hudson.airsafe.org