Aviation / Aircraft Safety & Accident Prevention Expert Witnesses: 5

Larry Grandy has over 46 years of progressive experience and knowledge in Aviation Operations, holding numerous civilian and military ratings and designations. He served for decades as a Career Officer and Squadron Commander in the United States Marine Corps. Mr. Grandy is currently serving as a Flight Instructor and Pilot in Command for a large Aeromedical Helicopter Company. His background includes previous service as an FAA Check Airman. 

Litigation Support - Mr. Grandy's has over 20 years of experience providing Aircraft Accident Investigation and Aviation Operations Research and Analysis, including military and civilian Mishaps. He provides expert witness testimony and consulting to defense and plaintiff attorneys. Excellent attorney references.

Areas of Expertise :Aviation Safety Consulting, Accident Reconstruction, Human Factors, Pilot & Aircrew Actions, FAA,  NTSB.

Keith M. Cianfrani, MAS, CRSP, a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, the founder and owner, has over 30 years of aviation experience. He is a master army aviator, aviation safety officer, commercial pilot, instructor pilot, and was an accident investigator for the U.S. Army Safety Center.

Background - Mr. Cianfrani is rated in both rotary wing and fixed wing aircraft. As a safety officer, he has managed safety programs in organizations with over 100 aircraft stationed throughout 5 states. Mr. Cianfrani is currently an instructor for Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and Kansas State University. He is also presently attending Florida Institute of Technology (FIT) as a PhD Student in Aviation Science.

Mr. Cianfrani is a certified Flight Instructor (CFI) and has also worked in the civilian, commercial aviation industry. He has been flying for companies such as Petroleum Helicopters, Damin Aviation, Keystone Helicopters, Island Helicopters, and Chopper 6 and Chopper 3 in Philadelphia. He also has experience in the flight for life, aero medical evacuation industry.

Litigation Support - Keith Cianfrani specializes in Human Factors and Material Failure in Aviation Accident Investigations. He serves as an aviation safety consultant for the Federal Aviation Administration and FIT. An IS-BAO Certified Safety Auditor, he provides safety evaluations in accordance with Federal Aviation Regulations. His services are available nationally and internationally and include written reports, depositions, and trial testimony as needed.

Areas of Expertise:

Pilot / Crew Performance Human Factors Maintenance Environmental Factors Meteorological Factors

Safety Training Material Factors Aviation Accident Reconstruction FAA Regulatory Compliance Safety Audits

View Keith Cianfrani's Consulting Profile.

Richard "Pete" Burgess provides service as an Aviaton Consultant for air traffic services, procedures, pilot experience and aircraft accident investigations. Mr. Burgess has been the Owner of Burgess Aviation Consultants since 1994 and specializes in the analysis of FAA Air Traffic Control service and the application of procedures in the following areas:

• Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCC's)
• Airport Traffic Control Towers (ATCT's)
• Terminal Radar Approach Control Facilities (TRACON's)
• Automated Flight Service Stations (AFSS's)
• Detailed Transcript Preparation of Air Traffic Recordings

Mr. Burgess is an Instrument-Rated Commercial Pilot and Certified Flight Instructor for Multi/Single Engine airplane. He has over 4000 hours of flight time. 

EXPERIENCE

     5/94- Present   Burgess Aviation Consultants begins the twenty-fifth year specializing in the review and analysis of air traffic procedures in Air Route Traffic            Control Centers, Contract Control Towers, Airport Traffic Control Towers, Terminal Radar Approach Control’s and Automated Flight Service Stations.                  Have provided services as an Aviation consultant in over 276 different cases during the past twenty-four years. I have been deposed in 82 cases and testified          in 34 trials

      1972 to 1994 Air Traffic Control Supervisory and Management - FAA

• Managed and supervised the National evaluations of over 160 FAA air traffic ARTCC's, ATCT's, TRACON's and AFSS's facilities in Southern California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Missouri, Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama
• Qualified on all positions of operation and actively controlled traffic as supervisor and manager at El Paso and Little Rock ATC Tower and radar approach control facilities
• Served as consultant and expert witness in trials involving aircraft accidents and enforcement actions in St. Louis, Kansas City and Little Rock
• Investigated the application and effectiveness of air traffic control procedures at Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles and Kansas City Airports, as a result of major accidents at those airports
• 1957 to 1972 Air Traffic Controller - FAA & U.S. Navy
• Air Traffic Terminal Controller at NAS Saufley Field, Pensacola, FL and NAS Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in the U.S. Navy, and Santa Fe, NM in the FAA
• Flight Service Specialist in El Paso, TX. Santa Fe, NM and Lubbock, TX
• Air Traffic Tower and Radar Approach Controller in Lubbock, TX and San Antonio, TX

Byron Birkedahl, founder and sole expert of HyMasa LLC, has over 41 years of experience in Aviation Electronic Systems at a fortune 100 aerospace company with the most recent role as the Senior Chief Engineer of Advanced Air Mobility and Next Generation Avionics.

Mr. Birkedahl has performed numerous safety assessments of aircraft incidents and served as an advisor to the FAA on new regulatory guidelines. He is an Engineering Fellow / System Architect and Flight Test Engineer credited with creating models and simulations of EVTOL dynamics, propulsion, flight controls and sensors for electronic system design analysis and real time simulator demonstrations. 

Mr. Birkedahl has 11 patents to his name (3 pending) and is responsible for creating control laws for autopilots and flight directors certified on numerous aircraft.

Experience (selected):

• Creation and approval of certification documents and safety analyses
• Knowledge of regulations and architectures of aircraft electronic systems
• Interface and presentations to worldwide aviation regulators (e.g. FAA, EASA, ANAC, CAA, Transport Canada) for the certification of aircraft electronic system
• Establishing the preliminary assessment of safety vs non-safety for aircraft incidents
• Conducting the FAA's Transport Airplane Risk Assessment Methodology (TARAM) of several aircraft incidents and coordination with the FAA of the results
• Analysis of Flight recorder data on a very high-profile accident and meetings with the NTSB on findings

Litigation Support - Mr. Birkedahl has extensive experience in aviation electronic systems that can assist in areas such as aviation accident litigation cases or the evaluation of start-up company viability / risk for investors. His services are available to attorneys representing plaintiff and defendant and government agencies.

Areas of Expertise:

• Presentation Communications with Aviation Regulators (worldwide)
• Aviation Modeling / Analytics / Simulation / Control Laws
• Lead Architect of Complex Aviation Electronic Systems
• Communications to Corporate Leadership and Aircraft OEMs
• Aviation Hazard / Safety Assessments

View HyMasa, LLC's Business Consultant Profile.

David G. Curry, PhD, CHFP, CSP, is part of Solution Engineering Group, which has experts representing a wide variety of engineering and scientific disciplines. Each has the ability to work as a team, matching your needs with the right Expert. Dr. Curry consults on all aspects of Human Factors, Applied Human Performance, Ergonomics, and Safety. He has over 30 years of experience working in accident investigation, product design and development, operational testing and analysis, and both laboratory and field research in the control / display, aviation, and surface vehicle arenas. 

Dr. Curry holds graduate degrees in Experimental, Human Factors, and Cognitive/ Perceptual Psychology, Industrial Engineering, and Business. He retired as a Lieutenant Colonel from the Air Force Reserve, where he worked with the Air Force Research Laboratory in the area of display technologies, aircrew training, and pilot-vehicle interfaces. 

Litigation Support - Dr. Curry is recognized as an expert in operator-vehicle interaction and is both a Certified Human Factors Professional and Certified Safety Professional. He holds several patents and has or does serve as a member of national standards-making committees for a variety of organizations (e.g., ANSI, ASTM, and SAE.) Dr. Curry has provided expert testimony in both State and Federal courts. 

Areas of Particular Expertise:

• Human / Machine Interface Design and Evaluation
• Human Capabilities and Limitations in Applied Environments
• Industrial Ergonomics
• Instructions and Warnings
• Perception / Vision / Visibility
• Slips / Trips / Falls
• Evaluation of Equipment / Facilities / Structures from a Human Use Standpoint
• Safety-related Issues in General

View Solution Engineering Group's Consulting Profile.