John J. Nance

John J. Nance (born July 5, 1946) is an American pilot, attorney, aviation and healthcare safety analyst, and author.

Biography Nance was born and raised in Dallas, Texas, and graduated from the St. Mark's School of Texas. He earned Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor degrees from Southern Methodist University and Dedman School of Law.

Nance served in the United States Air Force as a pilot during the Vietnam War and in Operation Desert Storm in Iraq. He was a lieutenant colonel with the Air Force Reserve.

Nance is the author of Why Hospitals Should Fly: The Ultimate Flight Plan to Patient Safety and Quality Care and Charting the Course: Launching Patient-Centric Healthcare. These books apply the principles learned in aviation to healthcare and patient safety.

Nance is the originator of the Red Cover Reports, a series of accident and incident analyses and recommendations using the principles of the National Transportation Safety Board accident reports colloquially known as "Blue Covers". The Red Cover Reports provide a neutral source of in-depth analysis of healthcare harm to caregivers and patients, including the 440,000 deaths due to medical error.

Also, as a former Braniff Airlines pilot, Nance authored A Splash of Colors: The Self-Destruction of Braniff International.

As of 2022, he has appeared on 18 episodes of Mayday as an aviation expert.

Nance lives in University Place, Washington, south of Seattle.

Books Fiction Final Approach (1990) Scorpion Strike (1992) Phoenix Rising (1993) Pandora's Clock (1995) Medusa's Child (1997) The Last Hostage (1998) Blackout (2000) Headwind (2001) Turbulence (2002) Skyhook (2003) Fire Flight (2003) Saving Cascadia (2005) Orbit (2006) Lockout (2016) 16 Souls (2017)

Non-fiction Splash of Colors: The Self-Destruction of Braniff International (1984) Blind Trust: The Revolution in Aviation Safety — Coming to Grips with Human Failure (1986) On Shaky Ground (1988) What Goes Up: The Global Assault on Our Atmosphere (1991) Golden Boy: The Harold Simmons Story (2003) Why Hospitals Should Fly: The Ultimate Flight Plan to Patient Safety and Quality Care (2008) Charting the Course: Launching Patient-Centric Healthcare (2012)