Summary of Qualifications:

Ben is a former air safety investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and retired air safety inspector with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), with over 35 years of aviation experience. His dynamic personality is spawned by a love for people and a professional ability to relate with all types and levels of personnel. Having completed over 300 fatal aircraft accident investigations as well as the aftermath, Ben has excelled in meeting the most daunting tasks including grief-management interaction with next of kin, post accident.

Ben worked for Lockheed Aircraft Company, Marietta, Georgia were he was a C-130 “Hercules” final assembly line supervisor. He moved to the field of general aviation out of a passion for and freedom of light aircraft as opposed to heavy transport aircraft. After years of A&P line experience, Piper Aircraft Corporation in Vero Beach, Florida employed him. There he was quickly discovered to be a fast learner, devoted employee, excellent pilot and trustworthy technician.

At the age of 23, Ben was appointed Product Support Manager for the entire Piper Aircraft product line for all distributors and dealers between India and Tahiti. Making routine visits from Piper headquarters in Lock Haven, PA, to Japan, Philippine Islands, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and Tahiti, he developed an international business finesse that he maintains to this day.

In the downturn of general aviation in the early 1980's, Piper Aircraft directed his efforts to the accident investigation department in an attempt to assist the company with frivolous product liability cases. This placed Ben in a position of technical expert witness for FAA and NTSB litigation. In 1984, he accepted a position with the NTSB at the Jamaica, New York, field office.

After reaching journeyman level with the NTSB, he was selected from all our nation’s 55 NTSB investigators to participate in an Investigator Exchange Program with the Canadian Aviation Safety Board. After a year of duty in Toronto, Ontario, Ben returned to the NTSB Atlanta Field Office to continue field operations. While in Canada, he received his multi-engine Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) and seaplane rating.

Feeling the need for additional heavy aircraft experience and having been an active investigator for the previous 10 years, Ben accepted a position of Director of Product Support for the Boeing 707 Tracor/Shannon/Rohr Stage 2 hush kit until the program concluded in 1990. He then launched a sole proprietorship for aerospace safety and aviation related consultation services.

In 1992, he joined Comair Airlines as Director of Maintenance, flight training division. Ben returned to Federal service with the FAA in 1994, until his early retirement in 2007. He is currently working on a contract with the United States Department of Defense contractor for the FAA Office of Runway Safety.

Ben has over 2,000 hours of pilot flight time and holds a current commercial-instrument-airplane-single and multi-engine land pilot certificate with A&P and senior parachute rigger certification. He is the Florida Chapter President of the International Society of Air Safety Investigators. He is also a staff senior maintenance advisor to the USAF Auxiliary, Civil Air Patrol and holds a rank of Captain. During his career with the FAA, he created an aviation safety talk show called "Plane Time" as an effective manner to present safety related information with assistance from the National Aviation Safety Foundation from the FAA Production Studios in Lakeland, Florida. (Search: Ben R. Coleman)

Ben’s passion for aviation and the Aerospace Industry, at large, is boundless. His individual level of experience continues to excel. His dedication to implementation of system safety and accident prevention programs in addition to how those concepts interact with risk management will take him and his company into safer skies. Ben Coleman Associates, LLC., dba, Aerospace Safety Management Institute is devoted to enhanced quality assurance in the areas of management, flight and maintenance, striving for perfection and, paramount, saving lives. Aviation is not only a profoundly rewarding profession….it is still fun. Whether you are flying a two-place tail dragger or moving 350+ passengers across oceans, safety is not accidental.

Education:

He has achieved an associate degree and Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) certificate from formal training received at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 1977 in conjunction with a Cooperative Education Program appointment to Lockheed Aircraft Company, Marietta, Georgia.