Charles O. Miller
Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame
Enshrined 1993
Charles Miller was born in Cleveland, Ohio. A Marine flier in World War II, he became a flight test engineer, an experimental test pilot, then a safety research director, lecturer, and writer for a major university. But he is best known as a world authority on aircraft accident investigation and prevention. Formerly a director of the Bureau of Aviation Safety, National Transportation Safety Board, he pioneered human factors engineering and developed “system safety” as a recognized technical discipline. Many of his innovative safety concepts are now standard operating practices in the aerospace and other industries.
Miller has received numerous honors for his work, among them The Laura Taber Barbour Air Safety Award, Flight Safety Foundation Distinguished Service Award, and the International Safety Academy Safety Hall of Fame. In 1974 he founded System Safety, a consulting firm based in Sedona, Arizona, which specializes in advisory and educational services designed to prevent accidents by integrating safety management skills.