PBS’ Miles O’Brien on Aviation Safety: Stats, Perception & Reality

Is it safe to fly? Recent incidents, media influence, and systemic concerns.

 

Miles O'Brien discusses the current state of aviation safety, reflecting on recent incidents and the underlying statistics. They explore the roles of various organizations like the FAA and NTSB in ensuring safety, the importance of timely investigations, and the normalization of deviance in aviation practices. The discussion also touches on the media's influence on public perception of aviation safety and the complexities of the aviation system, emphasizing the need for vigilance and proactive measures to maintain safety standards. 

 

Learn more about Miles on his website: https://milesobrien.com/ 

Connect with Miles on Twitter at https://twitter.com/milesobrien 

Watch Mile's conference session from Science is Cool 8: https://www.thepocketlab.com/video/scic8/miles-obrien 

ABOUT MILES

Miles O’Brien is a veteran, award-winning journalist who focuses on science, technology, aerospace, and the environment.

He is the science correspondent for PBS NewsHour, a producer and director for the PBS science documentary series NOVA, and a correspondent for the PBS documentary series FRONTLINE and the National Science Foundation Science Nation series.

For nearly seventeen of his thirty-two years in the news business, he worked for CNN as the science, environment and aerospace correspondent and the anchor of various programs, including American Morning.

While at CNN, he secured a deal with NASA to become the first journalist to fly on the space shuttle. The project ended with the loss of Columbia and her crew in 2003 – a story he told to the world in a critically acclaimed sixteen-hour marathon of live coverage.

Prior to joining CNN, he worked as a reporter at television stations in Boston, Tampa, Albany, NY and St. Joseph, MO. He began his television career as a desk assistant at WRC-TV in Washington, DC.

O’Brien is an accomplished pilot and is frequently called upon to explain the world of aviation to a mass audience. He has won numerous awards over the years, including a half-dozen Emmys, and a Peabody and DuPont for his coverage of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath.

In February of 2014, a heavy equipment case fell on his forearm while he was on assignment. He developed Acute Compartment Syndrome, which necessitated the emergency amputation of his left arm above the elbow.

Born in Detroit and raised in Grosse Pointe Farms, MI, he is based in Washington, DC. He has a son at the US Naval Academy and a daughter at Davidson College in North Carolina. He was a history major at Georgetown University.