Save your seat for the 2026 Aviation Symposium! Join us as we bring together leaders in aviation law, safety and business.

This year’s 21st Symposium will deliver dynamic panels and presentations on the most pressing issues shaping the aviation industry today.

Preliminary Agenda

Tuesday, February 3, 2026

12:30 - 6:00 p.m. Arrival and Registration

3 - 3:45 p.m. Aviation Emergency Response Organization (AERO) Board Meeting

4 - 5:15 p.m. AERO General Membership Meeting (Open to all members and conference attendees)
Bryan Cunningham Canelo, survivor of Taca Airlines Accident in TGU in 2008, will speak on his experience in the aftermath of the accident.

5:30 - 7 p.m. Welcome Reception (Salon I, 5th Floor)

Wednesday, February 4, 2026

8:30 - 9:30 a.m. Registration and Continental Breakfast (5th Floor, Salon II & III Foyer)

9:30 - 9:45 a.m. Welcome and Opening Comments (5th Floor, Salon II & III)

9:45 - 11:15 a.m. The Hearing Will Come to Order
Chaired by NTSB board member J. Todd Inman and Patrick Lusch, FAA Senior Air & Space Accident Investigator/Flight Recorder Specialist, this full-scale mock National Transportation Safety Board Factual Investigative Hearing involves the hypothetical collision between Nimbus Airlines Flight 428 and a SuperAir Charters Gulfstream 650, Kansas City International Airport, June 25, 2024.Throughout the mock hearing, the action will be stopped to discuss what we are seeing, as well as strategy and tactics, preparation, litigation and more.

Featuring:

• Board of inquiry.
• Investigator in charge.
• Technical panel.
• Parties to the investigation.
• Witnesses.
• Post hearing and party submission.
• Meeting with board members.
• Board meeting.

11:15 - 11:30 a.m. Networking Break

11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. The Hearing Continues
A panel discussion with NTSB Member J. Todd Inman, former NTSB Member John Goglia and former NTSB Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg.

12:30 - 1:30 p.m. Lunch, Featuring Aviation Trivia

1:30 - 2 p.m. The Who, What, When, Where, Why and How of an Aviation Criminal Prosecution and How to Avoid It
United States v. Air Charters and David Peterson: Criminal prosecution for manslaughter airing out of June 25, 2024, collision.

2 - 2:45 p.m. The Family Assistance Act Thirty Years Later: Lessons Learned

• How we got to where we are.
• Who does what and how it goes wrong.
• Case studies: the good, the bad and the ugly.

2:45 - 3:15 p.m. The View From The Top
A Discussion with Dave Davis, President of Spirit Airlines

3:15 - 3:30 p.m. Networking Break

3:30 - 4:15 p.m. Media Strategy: How to Say What You Can’t Say

• NTSB Rules.
• Who should “talk.”
• Who can say what you can’t say.
• Internal communication: employees, former employees, management and shareholders.

4:15 - 4:45 p.m. Everything You Want to Know About the FAA: A Discussion With FAA Deputy Administrator Chris Rocheleau

4:45 - 5 p.m. First Day Wrap-up and Day Two Preview

5 - 6:30 p.m. Networking Cocktail Reception
Mix and mingle with your colleagues. Join us for a cocktail before you go to dinner.

Thursday, February 5, 2026

8:30 - 9:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast

9:30 - 9:45 a.m. Welcome and Opening Comments

9:45 - 10:30 a.m. Corporate, Charter and Business Aviation: Prepared or Not

• Recent accidents.
• Do third-party audits matter?
• Charter contracts.
• Insurance.
• Preparing for the emergency.
• Doing more with less.
• The first 72 hours.

10:30 - 11:15 a.m. Suing the United States for Negligence: Expanding Liability

• The Federal Tort Claims Act and its exceptions.
• Air traffic control.
• Role of the FAA and DOJ.

11:15 - 12:15 p.m. The FAA, NTSB, DOT, TSA and Aviation: Where Are We and Where Are We Going?

• Organizational changes.
• Policy and regulatory changes.
• Managing the relationship with your company

12:15 - 12:30 p.m. Wrap-up Comments and Adjournment

Revisit the Symposium material:

• United States v. Super Air Charters and David Peterson: Criminal Prosecution for Manslaughter Arising From the June 25, 2024, Collision
• The Family Assistance Act: Thirty Years Later…Lessons Learned
• Media Strategy: How to Say What You Can’t Say
• Corporate, Charter and Business Aviation: Prepared or Not!
• Suing the United States for Negligence: Expanding Liability
• The FAA, NTSB, DOT, TSA and Aviation: Where Are We and Where Are We Going?