A lifelong aviation enthusiast who joined&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;in 2007, Curt came to&nbsp;the publication&nbsp;from the broadcast industry where he was a national science and technology television reporter and producer. He writes on the FBO field, aviation finance, and sustainable aviation and occasionally contributes to&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;sister publication&nbsp;Business Jet Traveler. Curt was a member of the AINtv reporting staff that won the 2008 Aerospace Journalist of the Year award for Best Airshow Daily. That same year, he was a finalist for another AJOYA award. He earned an AJOYA for Best Business Aviation Submission in 2018 and was a finalist in that category in 2021. He received the National Air Transportation Association’s&nbsp; Aviation Journalist Award in 2012 and won a Pegasus Sapphire Business Aviation Award for outstanding journalism in 2021.
Before joining AIN, Curt worked with&nbsp;Consumer Reports’ television division, CRTV, and for several local television news staffs. An honors graduate of the State University of New York at Stony Brook, he earned a master’s degree in broadcast journalism from Boston University in 1995. Curt lives in New York State with his wife and two young sons.

Senior Editor

Curt Epstein

Dassault Falcon 20, Jamestown, N.Y., Dec. 21 2008–The aircraft was substantially damaged when it overran the runway while landing at Chautauqua County/Jamestown Airport in icy conditions around 1 a.m. The operator, Ameristar Jet Charter, reported that a Notam issued by the airport for the accident runway was in effect reporting thin loose snow over patchy ice. 
According to the captain, the runway surface was visible but was “a solid sheet of ice.” Upon landing, the copilot, who was flying at the time, reported no braking action. The captain then took the controls and ordered the drag chute deployed at an approximate airspeed of “no less than 100 knots.” The aircraft came to a halt approximately 100 feet into the overrun after striking a snow berm. Post-accident investigation revealed that the chute had failed to deploy and remained mostly inside its tailcone container. Investigators found no problems with the chute or its packing, and documentation from Dassault stated that the drag chute should be deployed as soon as possible after landing. The airport manager stated that the runway had been plowed and sanded along its full length. He noted that the airport does not use chemical de-icers. After the accident, airport staff described the runway as “slick but not ice covered.” Weather conditions around the time of the accident were 18 degrees F with a visibility of 10 statute miles. Neither the pilot nor copilot was injured. Examination of the aircraft revealed substantial damage to its nose gear and fuselage buckling.

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