Alan E. Diehl

Dr Diehl was an award winning aviation psychologist and accident investigator for manufacturers, the National Transportation Safety Board, FAA and USAF.

He developed a keen interest in aviation safety after narrowly surviving a crash. He began as an aircraft designer in 1967, investigated his first accident in 1969, and earned a PhD in 1974 to become an aviation psychologist.

A decade later, after Congress announced Airline Deregulation, NTSB officials hired him to identify the causes and cures for "pilot error." He introduced innovations such as Crew Resource Management training that dramatically reduced accidents, but he soon exposed FAA officials for lying to Congress.

The USAF then assigned him to investigate a Soviet crash that killed an African president and train Air Force One crews. But he blew the whistle on a major fratricide cover-up. Time magazine and ABC News broke the story in 1995.

Congress, the media and law firms have used him to examine civil and military aviation safety issues. His first book, "Silent Knights: Blowing the Whistle on Military Accidents and Their Cover-Ups," was nominated for a Pulitzer. His second book, "Air Safety Investigators: Using Science to Save Lives -- One Crash at a Time," is an ultimate insider's look at the problems and progress in this industry in recent decades. ABC's John Nance and Ralph Nader have recognized his important contribution to improving aviation safety.