NTSB Shoots Down Continental Airlines Pilot Whistleblower Newton Dickson
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Our association has just learned that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) denied Continental Airlines pilot whistleblower Newton Dickson his appeal without even hearing oral arguments from his attorney, who was just notified in writing of their final decision upholding the FAA and their flight surgeon Dr. Berry's decision in his case.

As you may recall, last summer Mr. Dickson's case was heard before an administrative law judge in Houston who ruled that FAA Flight Surgeon Dr. Berry's diagnosis of Mr. Newton as epileptic was accurate, even though Dr. Berry is not medically qualified to make this diagnosis, but advised Mr. Dickson that he could 'cure' his epilepsy on the spot if paid a sufficient fee for his services, as alleged by Mr. Newton.

Former Delta Airline Whistleblower Captain Wayne Witter had appeared in court last summer to serve testimony in support of Mr. Newton's case, as his landmark case served as a precedent for this legal proceeding, but was denied the opportunity to testify. The NTSB supported the FAA in this case in ruling in their favor thus absolving Dr. Berry from any wrongdoing.

According to reports received from many career airline pilots, Dr. Berry has a long history of 'grounding' dissident pilots who do not march lock-step with airline management and/or the union agenda. He currently serves in a senior position at the FAA overseeing every FAA Flight Surgeon in the country.

First Officer Newton has worked the past several years as a TSA baggage screener at the Houston Hobby International Airport as a result of his honesty. He has been grounded for life after 17 years in the cockpit.

Please also recall that Colgan Air Pilots and Whistleblower FAA Inspector Chris Monteleon attempted to warn of problems at that carrier. If the FAA had listened to Whistleblower Captain Hanley regarding some of his concerns in 2003, perhaps this horrific accident would not have occurred. And yet all of these honest whistleblowers were ignored. The city of Buffalo, New York lost 50 residents as a result.

Colgan Air management and Regional Airline Association President Roger Cohen blamed the dead pilots for the deaths. How noble of them! The NTSB agreed with their findings...how repugnant of them. Blaming dead pilots for airline deaths saves the airlines a bundle on insurance and law suit costs. It's really quite simple to do if you have sufficient operating Capitol...er...capital.

The grassroots Whistleblowing Airline Employees Association has insufficient funds to hire K-Street lobbyist to polically and legally influence and control members of congress, the National Transportation Safety Board, the Merit System Protection Board, the Departments of Transportation and Homeland Security, the Federal Aviation Administration, and many mainstream media outlets, as does the Air Transport Association and the Regional Airlines Association.

We do, however, have the attention of our 'special interests', the millions of passengers who travel by commercial air and those dedicated safety and security professionals who serve them daily...Airline/FAA/TSA employees. That is all we need to expose this travesty of justice and we will. We dare the above-named agencies to try to stop us.

Most members of our association think that our government officials imagine in delusion that our members and the traveling public are either too stupid and/or afraid to speak out to expose this corruption. We are neither and we will...trust us...for we have lost trust and faith in our government to protect our 'special interests'.

After Captain Hanley wrote the Department of Transportation Inspector General's office early in 2009 asking that this office investigate the FAA for alleged stonewalling of his FAA Whistleblower report, the DOT IG turned his evidence over to the very agency he had asked to be investigated and, oddly enough, the FAA found that they had done no wrong.

Perhaps this watch dog agency designed to protect the traveling public querried Dr. Berry for the answer, since he is the flight surgeon in charge of every FAA flight surgeon in the country. The DOT IG office and the FAA recently responded by stating in a letter that they found no evidence of wrongdoing by the FAA in the case of Captain Hanley's whistleblower allegations, for which he had to wait several years for an answer.

It would appear, unless complicit in these apparent misdeeds, that airline unions have lost their power and influence to protect airline employees in cases such as these that each member pay dues for said protection. There have been cases in the past where airline union leaders have been given information from a member, but turned the blind eye to injustice and wrongdoing to serve the company business agenda, as well as their own. What gives there?

Captain Dan Hanley
National Public Spokesperson
Whistleblowing Airline Employees Association