After several years of turbulence, we’re excited to announce we plan to convene in person for our annual symposium in 2023.

Join us in February for a three-day event packed with networking opportunities and outstanding educational content. Attendees can expect a few surprises waiting in the cargo hold.

Agenda

Tuesday, February 7, 2023

12:30 – 6 p.m.  Arrival and Registration
3 p.m.               Aviation Emergency Response Organization (AERO) Board Meeting
4 p.m.               AERO General Membership Meeting (open to everyone)
6 p.m.               Welcome Back Cocktail Reception

Wednesday, February 8, 2023

8:15 a.m.    Registration and Continental Breakfast Opens
9:30 a.m.    Welcome and Opening Comments 
10 a.m.       The Hearing Will Come to Order: An NTSB Factual Investigative Hearing of the Accident

- Who does what?
- Procedural issues
- Prehearing conference
- The docket
- Party system
- Witnesses
- Technical panel
- Submissions
- Meeting with the board
- The board meeting

12:15 p.m.    Lunch Discussion: The Year Ahead – A Discussion with FAA Chief Counsel Marc Nichols
1:30 p.m.      The Role (and Non-Role) of Insurers and Lawyers in an Accident Investigation
2:15 p.m.      Whistleblowers and the FAA: “I Told You This Would Happen!”

- Current/former employees
- What to do
- Internal investigations
- External investigations
- Voluntary disclosures
- Internal reporting systems

3:15 p.m.   “Quality v. Quantity?” 1500 Hours and Aviation Safety

- Politics or policy?
- Where did the 1500-hour mile come from?
- Is it justified and do we need it?
- Does it make aviation safer?

3:45 p.m.   United States v. The World: Criminalization of Aviation Accidents  

- Criminalization in the U.S.
- Criminalization elsewhere
- What is the offense?
- What does the operator do?
- What does the pilot do?
- Relationship between civil and criminal liability

4:30 p.m.       First Day Wrap-Up Comments
6 - 8:30 p.m.  Networking Reception and Dinner 

Thursday, February 9, 2023

8:15 a.m.    Continental Breakfast Open
9:15 a.m.    Welcome and Opening Comments
9:30 a.m.    State of the Industry with Ben Baldanza
10:00 a.m.    Pulling The Curtain Back: Lessons of Ethiopian Airlines

- Who investigates accidents outside the United States?
- The operator’s role
- What are the risks to U.S. operators who fly outside the United States and what can be done to mitigate them?

10:45 a.m.  Structuring Tabletops and Training 

- How often?
- Who attends?
- Real time?

11:45 a.m.   The Annual FAA Panel: A Discussion of What to Expect from the Regulators/Federal Government in 2023 and Beyond
12:30 p.m.   Wrap-Up Comments and Adjournment