Biographical Note

Gretchen (Seiler) Haskins served in the United States Air Force as a human factors engineer. She is an internationally known expert in human factors and is known as a leader in the aviation safety industry.

Gretchen Haskins graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1986 where she attained a B.Sc. in Human Factors Engineering. After graduation she was assigned to Norton Air Force Base in the Ballistic Missile Office. She was promoted to Captain and Systems Engineering Branch Chief as a Captain. While there, she also attained a Masters degree in Human Factors Engineering from the University of Southern California.

After the Air Force, Haskins moved to Britain in July 1992, where she took a position in defense research as head of human factors engineering at GEC Marconi. In 1996, she joined MOD Boscombe Down as the lead of the human factors engineering team assigned to evaluate miltary aircraft for use. In 2000, Haskins joined the National Air Traffic Services (NATS) as Head of Human Factor Engineering, She evenutally became the Director of Safety.

In April 2010, she became Group Director of Safety for the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority. Just nine days after she started, the Eyjafjallajökull volcano erupted and caused disruption of air travel throughout Western Europe. Both she and her husband, Paul, who was then Head of Safety for air traffic control in London, were closely involved in decision-making and public reporting.

In 2014, Haskins was selected as the first CEO of HeliOffshore, an international helicopter safety organisation. She served as CEO until 2020, when she transitioned to the board. She also served on the board of the Flight Safety Foundation from 2015-2024. As of 2026, Haskins is active in the aviation safety industry and was recognised by the Royal Aeronautical Society as the recipient of the Roger Green Medal for developing internationally recognised best practices in the areas of human factors and safety.

Gender

• female

Occupations

• Women air pilots

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