About AvSafe AvSafe investigates the circumstances of aircraft accidents and provides detailed causal analysis. Examples include examining wreckage, cockpit voice recordings, air traffic control and radar tapes, conducting witness interviews and reviewing other documentation or evidence to determine the sequence of events leading to an accident.
AvSafe was founded in 1997 by W. Jeffrey Edwards. Mr. Edwards is a former U.S. Navy A-6 Intruder bombardier/navigator and Naval Safety Center aircraft accident investigator. While at the Naval Safety Center, he served as investigator in charge of many of the Navy and Marine Corps fighter, helicopter and training aircraft accidents. During this time Mr. Edwards had the privilege of completing the Armed Forces training program for Accident Investigators administered through various branches of the U. S. Armed Forces and prestigious institutions such as the University of Southern California. Following his service in the Navy, Mr. Edwards was an aircraft accident investigator and senior project engineer for McDonnell Douglas Aerospace. While at McDonnell Douglas he continued to investigate military fighter accidents involving the F/A-18 Hornet, F-15 Eagle, AV-8B Harrier. Additionally, he investigated a number of commercial accidents involving the McDonnell Douglas product line, including the Florida Everglades Valujet disaster.
Since founding AvSafe, Mr. Edwards has reconstructed a variety of aircraft accidents for clients around the globe. In addition to working for Captain Richard Ashby's defense team in the 1998 Marine Corps EA-6B gondola case, Mr. Edwards has consulted for clients on matters in Mexico, Kuwait, and the United Kingdom. Most recently, Mr. Edwards has been involved with accident reconstruction efforts in the Governor Mel Carnahan crash.
Mr. Edwards is also an accomplished pilot, flight instructor and FAA designated pilot examiner. He has reconstructed many aircraft accidents involving flight instruction or flight examination issues. Mr. Edwards was designated as a Master Flight instructor in 1998 and recently received a renewal of this prestigious designation. Out of approximately 81,000 Certified Flight Instructors in the United States fewer than 300 are designated Master Flight Instructor by the National Association of Flight Instructors. He was named the National Flight Instructor of the Year for 2003 as well as the FAA Central Region Flight Instructor of the Year for 2003. Mr. Edwards also received the distinct honor and designation of 2003 Accident Prevention Counselor of the Year for the FAA St. Louis Flight Standards District Office.
Mr. Edwards has been involved on the maintenance side of aviation for over 25 years. First in his Naval career as a Squadron Maintenance Officer responsible for maintenance on squadron aircraft and the 300+ personnel associated with those duties. Most recently he completed building a Lancair IVP, a presurized composite airplane, including a total "glass" instrument panel. He was awarded an FAA Repairman Certificate upon completing this 3 year project.
Mr. Edwards' experience, education, and active participation in his fields of expertise make him unique to the industry. CV is available upon request.
Accidents Begin Where Safety Ends