Presenters - TWA Flight 800

Dr. Bernard S. Loeb
Director, Office of Aviation Safety

Employed at the Safety Board for 23 years , Dr. Loeb has also served the Board as the Director of the Office of Research and Engineering, Acting Director and the Deputy Director of the Bureau of Accident Investigation, the Chief of the Aviation Engineering Division and the Chief of the Safety Studies and Data Analysis Division, and as an Aerospace Engineer during which time he researched and wrote numerous safety studies. Prior to joining the Safety Board, Dr. Loeb worked for about 15 years in various aeronautical engineering research positions in the aerospace industry and in government research laboratories. Dr. Loeb has authored numerous reports and papers on aeronautical engineering topics and on transportation safety issues. He has been the recipient of numerous job related awards, including the Managing Director’s Award at the Safety Board and he has TWICE received the Presidential Distinguished Rank Award.

Education and Training:
Bachelors degree (1960) from the University of Maryland in aeronautical engineering; Masters (1963) and Doctorate (1966) from the George Washington University in engineering science. Numerous technical, management, and executive training courses and programs.

Alfred (Al) Dickinson
Senior Aviation Accident Investigator Serves as Investigator-In-Charge (IIC) on TWA flight 800. 24 years with the Safety Board. Seven years in the Office of Aviation Safety, Major Accident Investigations Division.

Experience:
Mr. Dickinson has served as IIC in over 220 aircraft accidents and as an U.S. Accredited Representative for over 110 foreign aviation accidents/incidents. He was previously a computer programmer for USF&G, and has been a member of the Army Reserves and National Guard for over 20 years. Mr. Dickinson holds a commercial pilot's license, and has logged over 5,000 hours flight time in both airplanes and rotary wing aircraft.

Recipient of Aviation Week and Space Technology Laurel Award, February 1997, granted to the investigative team in recognition of their work on TWA 800.

Education:
Aerospace Engineering from University of Southern California
Business Administration from Norwich University

Experience:
Employed at the Safety Board in the Materials Laboratory for nearly 25 years, since September, 1975. Chief of the laboratory for 2+ years. Participated in many of the major accidents involving component or structural failures investigated by the Board and foreign countries including 1985 Indian Airlines Boeing 747 bombing, Atlantic Ocean 1988 Aloha Airlines 737 structural failure, Hawaii 1988 Pan Am 103 bombing, Lockerbie, Scotland 1989 United Airlines 747 cargo door failure, Honolulu, Hawaii 1989 United Airlines DC-10 fan disk failure, Sioux City, Iowa 199? DC-10 bombing, Chad, Africa 1996 TWA 800 NTSB Chairman's award, (1989), Recipient of Aviation Week and Space Technology Laurel Award, February 1998, in recognition of the analysis of the breakup of the TWA 800 airplane. Presents a course entitled Fracture Recognition, to students at the NTSB Aircraft Accident Investigation School.

Education:
B.S. degree in Metallurgical Engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

 Joseph M Kolly, Ph. D.
Fire and Explosion Investigation
Office of Research and Engineering
National Transportation Safety Board

11 years with the Safety Board.

Experience
Dr. Kolly is a Fire and Explosion Investigator in the NTSB's Office of Research and Engineering, where he is responsible for fire and explosion accident investigation and research in all modes of transportation. He has worked in this position since he joined the Safety Board in 1998. Before joining the Safety Board, Dr. Kolly worked for 6 years as a Senior Research Scientist at Calspan-University at Buffalo Research Center (CUBRC), where he was responsible for conducting basic research in the fluid and thermal sciences of high speed flows. He also held the position of Operations Manager of the Large Energy National Shock (LENS) Tunnel at CUBRC.

Education
Dr. Kolly earned a BS degree, with high honors, in Mechanical Engineering from the State University of New York at Binghamton in 1988, and a Ph. D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1996. Dr. Kolly was elected to Tau Beta Pi and Sigma Xi, and is a member of SAE. He has authored over 20 technical papers and reports on his research activities, and was the recipient of the 1997 Sigma Xi Niagara Chapter Best Technical Paper Award.

Robert Swaim
Aircraft Systems Investigator

Experience:
12 years with the Safety Board. ValuJet DC-9, Miami, Florida - Systems Group Chairman Ron Brown USAF Flight, Croatia - Assisted USAF with examining radios American Airlines B-757, near Buga, Colombia - Accredited Rep. for Systems American Eagle ATR , Roselawn, Indiana. - Systems Group Chairman Kaman Aerospace Prototype Helicopter Production Manager, QE Supervisor, and Senior Liaison Engineer Hughes Helicopters AH-64 Liaison Engineer Commercial Diver Lockheed L-1011 Field Service Representative Airframe & Powerplant Mechanic

Education:
Bachelor in Industrial Education from University of Maryland
Aerospace Engineering Equivalency from US Office of Personnel Management

Dr. David Mayer
Acting Chief, Human Performance Division

Experience:
Dr. Mayer has worked 9 years with the Safety Board, currently in the Office of Research and Engineering serving first as a statistics and database specialist, and later as a safety study manager. He has worked on accidents and safety issues in all modes of transportation. He became a aviation human performance investigator in 1997, and is currently serving as Acting Chief of the Human Performance Division in the Office of Aviation Safety. He holds a private pilot license.

Education:
B.A. Centenary College M.A. and Ph.D. in Applied Experimental Psychology from Rice University