- How did you turn your “grief into action”?
Well, it certainly didn’t happen overnight. As an engineer, I’m trained to be a problem solver. And while overcoming grief is not a problem you technically solve; I hated the feeling of helplessness. Initially, I utilized my skills and expertise to find the true cause of the TACA 390 crash that killed my brother, Captain Cesare D’Antonio, the pilot of the doomed flight.
The anticipation of what I’d discover each and every day gave me purpose and a reason to get out of bed every morning. I immersed myself in obsessive research that revealed other parallel aviation accidents.
As I dug deeper, I exposed a culture that is too quick to conclude pilot error and an industry that experiences systemic weaknesses, chooses profits over safety, lies to its customers, and is willing to risk lives to get its planes back in the sky. Ultimately, I exposed the smoking gun I’d been looking for—revealing the truth about TACA 390.
But perhaps even more shockingly, I discovered aviation cover-ups fueled by corporate greed which made me wonder how safe are we really? And so was born a newfound purpose in advocating for aviation safety so that no other family would have to suffer the same type of tragedy.
- I am sorry for your loss. What does your connection with your brother mean to your heart?
That’s a really good question because prior to Cesare’s violent death, I never thought about matters of the heart as it related to my kid brother. Writing this book made me realize what a big part of my heart he inhabited. Cesare was one of my longest lasting relationships, growing up he was my best friend, and he was a tremendous source of pride for me for the man he grew up to be.
Growing up, as the older sibling, my parents instilled in me a responsibility to protect him—protect your brother, always protect your little brother, was a frequent mantra. I took this responsibility to heart and lived my life doing everything I could to ensure he was always safe and on the right track. It was such a bizarre and unrealistic belief because we can never protect others from danger. Yet, this was such a deep-rooted belief that while writing this book, I discovered that I blamed myself for failing to keep him safe. It wasn’t until I learned to forgive myself that I could finally set Cesare, and myself, free.
- Right now airplane crashes are a big concern. What is your take on this from your perspective?
This is exactly what my book is all about. For years, the aviation industry has blamed pilots for 70 percent of airplane crashes. This statistic blew my mind. It is an overly simplistic conclusion that deflects the focus away from existing safety gaps in a very complex system.
Recently, we’ve seen a rash of aviation mishaps that indicate an industry under strain. We learned of the faulty designs in 737 MAX aircraft that resulted in hundreds of deaths, well-known flawed designs that Boeing covered up as they gave in to pressures from Wall Street. In an attempt to get the planes back in the sky as quicky as possible, airlines have deferred maintenance tasks resulting in plane parts falling from the skies. In addition, there is a critical shortage of air traffic controllers that has resulted in having to work erratic schedules and ungodly overtime hours adding stress to an already stressful job. Also, the FAA has been known to relinquish its regulatory responsibilities by exercising a tombstone mentality where every regulation is written in blood. And finally, I am well aware of the lack of investments in aviation infrastructure. The aviation system is screaming for attention to tend to these safety gaps. If not, we will witness another tragedy like the recent mid-air collision between American Airlines 5342 and the Black Hawk military helicopter over the Potomac River, a predictable and preventable tragedy that never should have happened.
- What is your biggest inspiration?
Without a doubt, my biggest inspiration is my brother, Cesare. Writing this book has been the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Along this 15-year journey, there have been countless people who have been instrumental in helping me get this labor of love out into the world and into reader’s hands. But the most pivotal influence has been Cesare who served as my muse.
On days when I thought this project would never take flight, Cesare would peer at me from his picture frame nestled amongst my most prized possessions on the bookshelf in our home office. The snapshot, taken in an Airbus 320 cockpit, is of a uniformed Cesare seated at the captain’s chair sporting his Prada sunglasses, his crooked smile displaying a chipped front tooth. He is forever in his happy place at 35,000 feet over Mother Earth, and he would nudge me to keep at it. I could almost hear him reminding me that this story needed to be told.
I think he’d be proud that I decided to transform a personal tragedy into a positive mission and am now a vocal advocate for aviation safety.
- Why did you write 26 Seconds as part memoir and part expose?
Well, I didn’t set out to write the story of 26 Seconds, the version that will finally see the light of day on May 13, 2025. In fact, the original versions were pure memoir, mainly a grief memoir. But along this journey for answers as to the true cause of the TACA 390 crash, I discovered a much bigger story. My research 
revealed the egregious cover up, alarming safety gaps, and faulty infrastructure designs that led to the TACA 390 tragedy were not outliers but are indicative of a systemic problem in an aviation industry at a global level.
Sadly, in the last few years, my research has been confirmed with events such as the egregious Boeing 737 MAX debacle and cover up, the recent catastrophic mid-air collision at Reagan National Airport, and a rash of near misses at several large airports throughout the country. I felt it was my responsibility to expose the truth. And that is how 26 Seconds came to be.
- What impact do you want this book to make?
We’ve been conditioned to believe that flying is the safest mode of travel. I certainly don’t mean to dispel this, I believe this is true. However, I also believe that we are witnessing an aviation system under tremendous strain and we, as consumers, must demand that adequate attention be given to address glaring safety gaps. My hope is that 26 Seconds raises an awareness of the need to improve aviation safety and that it challenges us all to question the very systems we’ve been told we can trust with our lives. In doing so, I believe 26 Seconds may actually result in improved aviation safety and lives saved.
