UND Aerospace hosting accident investigation course Today is the last day of the Advanced Aircraft Accident Investigation course being hosted by the UND Aerospace Foundation (UNDAF) and the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) at the Grand Forks International Airport. The course, which began Oct. 17, is designed to provide an advanced level of instruction to individuals who may participate in aviation accident investigations conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). “As unfortunate as they are, aircraft accidents are opportunities for crash investigators to learn more about the errors pilots and organizations may make that result in accidents,” said Dana Siewert, UND Aerospace’s director of aviation safety. “This course develops hands-on skills by recreating an actual aircraft mishap in a learning environment.” Over 30 airline pilots from around the United States and Canada are participating in the course, which uses actual aircraft wreckage donated by a firm in California. The wreckage “site” was recreated south of the flight operations facility and used specifically for investigative training techniques. This course was also offered to a select group of aviation employees and a limited number of aviation students who have completed aviation safety courses at UND. Aviation aircraft manufacturers who have expressed interest in this type of course and training are also attending. -- Karen Ryba, Director of Communications, Aerospace, ryba@aero.und.edu, 701-777-4761