Archival Adventures: Air Crash Investigation
Archival Adventures: Air Crash Investigation
It's time for an adventure! This week we're exploring the topic of air crash investigation using the Melvin N. Gough Papers. Gough served on the Board of Governors of the Flight Safety Foundation and was a charter member of the Society of Air Safety Investigators. In 1926, he began work with the Langley Aeronautical Laboratory of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) in Hampton, Virginia. During his time there, he was successively an engineer, a naval aviator and test pilot, Chief Test Pilot, and Chief of Flight Research at NACA-Langley.
When NACA became the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in 1958, Gough transferred to Cape Canaveral, where he was Director of NASA Operations at the Atlantic Missile Range for two years. In 1960, he became Director of the Bureau of Safety for the Civil Aeronautics Board. From 1962, he was Director of Aircraft Development of the Federal Aviation Agency, retiring from government service in 1964.
Within Gough's papers, there are numerous files about the theory and practice of air crash investigation. There are also files on specific accidents. Our adventure today will explore both the theory and specific air crash investigations.
Find the collection finding aid here: https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/viblbv_repositories_2_resources_1500
Join our community collections archivist, Anthony Wright de Hernandez, for a livestream on Twitch! Every week we explore and discuss materials from Special Collections and University Archives covering topics including university history, NASA pioneers, architecture, science fiction, cooking, LGBTQ+ history, Black history, urban legends, and more. Recordings of previous streams are available on the Libraries' Youtube page.
If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, welcome! Please email library-event-accessibility@groups.office365.vt.edu at least 10 days prior to the event.
- Date:
- Wednesday, July 29, 2026 Show more dates
- Time:
- 3:00pm - 5:00pm
- Audience:
- Advanced Alumni Beginners Faculty/Staff Graduate Students Postdoc Public Undergraduates
- Categories:
- Event > Livestream
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Community Collections Archivist
Special Collections and University Archives (0434)