Courses Taught

Aircraft Accident Investigation (AAI)

Malcolm Brenner, Ph.D.

Experience

1986-2012: Human Performance Specialist, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)

• Investigated human issues related to major transportation accidents as part of NTSB go-team, including issues of fatigue, speech analysis, operator impairment, training, crew resource management (CRM), decision-making, automation, vehicle design, corporate culture, regulatory oversight
• Recipient of NTSB Chairman's Award
• Recipient of NTSB Employee Peer Award
• Instructor at NTSB Training Center on "Human Performance Investigation," "Investigating Human Fatigue," and "Witness Interviewing"
• Served within NTSB as "National Resource Specialist -- Human Performance" and "Chief, Human Performance Division, Office of Aviation Safety"

1978-1986: Research Scientist/Expert Witness/Consultant on Human Performance

• Expert Witness, U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee
• Expert Witness, U.S. Department of Justice
• Consultant for defense and plaintiff clients concerning human performance issues in aviation accident litigation, including disappearance of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 and general aviation accidents
• Principle Scientist on contracts funded by NASA and U.S. Air Force to evaluate speech as a measure of operator workload

Education

• B.A. with distinction, Boston University, Boston, MA
• M.A. Stanford University, Stanford, CA (Psychology)
• Ph.D. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (Psychology)
• Private pilot license

Professional activities

• Chapter President/Member, International Society of Air Safety Investigators
• Invited speaker for Professional Meetings, including:
  • International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO) Regional Human Factors Symposiums
  • Federal Aviation Administration (FAA): Aviation Fatigue Management Symposium (2008)
• Author of scientific papers published in Aviation, Space & Environmental Medicine and other professional journals
• Recipient, National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Fellowship
• Cited in popular media, including:
  • Bill Adair (2002). The Mystery of Flight 427: Inside a Crash Investigation. Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press
  • Malcolm Gladwell (2008). Outliers: The Story of Success. New York: Little, Brown & Company
  • Discovery Channel: numerous TV documentary appearances such as in "Terror over Texas" (2012)

Select investigations

• Grounding of the Exxon Valdez oil tanker near Valdez AK (1989): developed new speech analysis technology to examine operator impairment by alcohol
• USAir B-737 accident at Alequippa, PA (1994): longest investigation in Safety Board history, led to redesign/retrofit of Boeing 737 rudder control system
• Midair collision of Aeronaves de Mexico OC-9 with Piper PA-28 over Cerritos CA (1986): Investigation recommendations helped lead to new u.S. regulatory requirement for TCAS collision-avoidance radar
• Crash short of runway at Kirksville, MO of American Connection flight (2004): Investigation recommendations helped lead to new u.S. flight and duty time regulations
• In-flight breakup of Continental Express Airlines flight at Eagle Lake TX (1991): Cited by ICAO for corporate culture investigation
• Foreign authorities: supported numerous foreign investigations as member of U.S. NTSB team