What makes a good air incident investigator, with UNSW

What makes a good air incident investigator, with UNSW

Author: Momentum Media November 25, 2025 Duration: 58:10

It's said that every accident makes aviation safer – but that doesn't happen on its own. Across the globe, air incident investigators are on the scene whenever something goes wrong with an aircraft, finding out the root of the problem and making sure it doesn't happen again.

But what skills are most important to investigators: aviation experience, or scientific training and critical thinking? What does an investigation team need to be certain they've got it right?

In this podcast, Professor Brett Molesworth, head of UNSW School of Aviation, hosts a wide-ranging conversation on the fundamental tension between traditional aviation expertise and scientific methodology in incident investigation.

Join him in this fascinating panel discussion with Wing Commander Clare Fry, Defence Flight Safety Bureau; Dr Curtis Calabrese, United Airlines captain, director of operations for Skyways Charter, former FAA Inspector and U.S. Navy Reconnaissance pilot; Dr David Wilson, senior transport safety investigator, ATSB; and James Barnett, manager group investigations, Qantas.


You'll find the Australian Aviation Podcast Network right at the intersection of runway tarmac and boardroom strategy. Produced by Momentum Media, this collection of shows digs into the stories that define flight in this part of the world, moving well beyond the headlines. Each episode feels like a hangar chat with the people who know the industry best-pilots, engineers, executives, and analysts-offering a grounded perspective on everything from the engineering marvels of new aircraft to the complex logistics of running an airline. We explore the sheer joy and freedom of recreational flying just as deeply as the tough commercial decisions that keep the sector aloft. Whether it's a discussion on sustainable fuel technologies, the revival of regional routes, or the history behind a beloved aircraft type, the conversation is always driven by genuine curiosity. Tune in for clear, informed talk that connects the dots between the business of aviation and the passion that fuels it, all delivered with a distinct Aussie lens. This podcast network is for anyone who feels that lift of anticipation when an aircraft throttles down the runway, or who simply wants to understand the forces that shape how we connect across this vast continent and beyond.
Author: Language: en-au Episodes: 100

Australian Aviation Podcast Network
Podcast Episodes
What's in the white paper? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:07
It's been a long time coming, and at last, this week saw the release of the federal government's Aviation White Paper. The government has pushed consumer protections to the forefront of its agenda, with a new independent…
F-15 pilot Joel Neeb on training the US Air Force's best [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:20
Joel Neeb is a former F-15 pilot who flew thousands of missions for the US Air Force, including escorting Air Force One and patrolling the skies in the days after 9/11. Rising to become lieutenant colonel, he trained hun…
Tackling the talent crisis with Leidos and RMIT [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:42
Later this month, we will host our first Australian Aviation Summit in partnership with Leidos Australia. The event will tackle the biggest topics in the industry, including how the sector can begin to fix its chronic ta…
Are slots to blame for Rex and Bonza's collapse? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:13
With Bonza gone and Rex fighting for its life in voluntary administration, the spotlight has once again turned to an old argument: that slot allocation at Sydney Airport unfairly advantages the major players. As the fede…
Rex wrecks – what's next? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 46:41
In a matter of months, a second Australian airline has gone into voluntary administration: this time it's Rex, whose ambitions of challenging Qantas and Virgin on capital city flights with 737-800s have dramatically hit…
Chaos strikes crowds as CrowdStrike strikes out [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:17
In one of the most dramatic tech outages in history, a botched update by cyber security company CrowdStrike last Friday crippled computers around the world – and Australia's aviation sector did not escape unscathed. Airl…
Is Australia's domestic airline market full? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:48
With the ashes yet cooling on Bonza's funeral pyre, Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson made an eyebrow-raising suggestion at the Flying Kangaroo's Perth–Paris launch last week: that Australia can't sustain more than, say, three m…
Can aviation embrace sustainability, with UNSW [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:59
Australian Aviation is gearing up to host our third annual awards next month in association with UNSW and its School of Aviation. The university recently hosted a panel examining sustainability in the sector, featuring s…
Farewell Bonza, we hardly knew ye [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:58
In the end, it was all but inevitable – after losing its planes, cancelling its flights, sacking its staff and failing to find a buyer, Bonza is no more, with creditors making the decision to wind up the airline and put…

«1...678910