“I like to understand how things work — why things go wrong, how you can prevent them next time.” says Tiffany Terry (’26), a cross-country runner and Aeronautics major at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott. For the past year, she’s worked at the university’s five-acre Robertson Aircraft Accident Investigation Laboratory (aka Crash Lab), maintaining reconstructed wreckage of downed aircraft. It’s dirty, detailed, and sometimes disturbing work — precisely the kind she’s drawn to.

What began as a minor in aviation safety has turned into a career track in aviation safety law, accident investigation, and systems thinking. Now she is looking ahead to law school, Tiffany spends her days balancing NAIA athletics with safety coursework, maintaining the Crash Lab and giving tours of eerily realistic crash sites.

Embry-Riddle's Crash Lab

The Crash Lab is a signature of Embry-Riddle’s Prescott campus: a field populated with the remnants of actual aircraft accidents, reconstructed from photos and records. Students measure scar marks, study control surfaces, and walk the crash paths of planes brought in from across the country. “They’re authentic,” Tiffany says. “They have been rebuilt as accurately as possible. Then we give visiting classes limited information and let them investigate.”

The goal is to recreate the early stages of an NTSB investigation — not to scare students, but to prepare them. “There’s one that always gets people,” she says. “A pilot flew through a thunderstorm in a Piper Warrior. Turns out he was in a rush to get his taxes done, and despite poor weather conditions, flew anyway. Unfortunately, he made some decisions which caused the wing of the aircraft to tear off and the plane fell into a spin. The G’s pulled, along with the severe turbulence from the storm, caused the pilot’s aorta to break loose from his heart. He bled out before the plane even hit the ground.”

Other wrecks teach other lessons: weight and balance failures, flat spins, complacency with fuel types, failed engine repairs. A crop duster accident is used to show the importance of crumple zones and protective gear. “It’s sobering,” she says. “But it sticks with you. And it makes you want to do the work right.”

Finding a Future in Aviation

Tiffany’s journey into aviation wasn’t planned. Raised in San Bernardino County, California, she grew up around planes but never considered them professionally. Her grandfather had been a mechanic for Ameriflight and ran his own aircraft repair shop. “His friends were pilots,” she says. “One of them took me up in his World War II plane. I got to fly it a little. It was unforgettable. But I didn’t think of it as a career.”

She came to Embry-Riddle on a cross-country scholarship, intending to major in Global Security. But a few aeronautics electives nudged her toward a different future. “I found myself more interested in safety and accident reconstruction than in security studies,” she says. “I like aviation law, and I realized I could combine that with investigation. Once I figured that out, I switched majors and never looked back.”

She declared a minor in Aviation Safety, added a course in aviation law, and enrolled in safety classes. Among them was human factors in aviation safety — a class that focuses on the psychology of pilots, air traffic controllers, and system designers. “It’s fascinating,” she says. “We talk about how human error contributes to accidents — not just the pilot’s mistakes, but also the way a cockpit is designed or how automation changes behavior.”

That complexity appeals to her. She’s interested in the tools of the trade, too. Though she hasn’t yet operated the lab’s FARO® 3D laser scanner, she’s intrigued by its power. “It shoots lasers across the wreckage to build a 3D image of the crash site,” she explains. “You can recreate the scene and reverse-engineer what happened. That’s what I mean when I say I like to understand how things work.”

The Next Step to Success

Outside the classroom, Tiffany is preparing for a summer internship with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department’s aviation unit. “We’re still finalizing it, but I’m excited,” she says. “It’s close to home, and it ties in both the mechanical and investigative sides of what I want to do.”

Her long-term goal? Law school. “Aviation law really interests me,” she says. “There are so many unanswered questions in this space — how we regulate safety, how we manage liability and how drone policy is evolving. I want to be part of that.”

She’s already taken steps in that direction. Alongside her coursework, she’s been involved in cross-disciplinary conversations around safety technology, regulation, and the future of uncrewed systems. “We touched on drone safety in aviation law and in my UAS class,” she says. “It’s something I definitely want to learn more about.”

Though she’s not a flight student right now she’s taken a few discovery flights and plans to earn her private and instrument ratings after graduation. “I think it helps to understand aviation from the cockpit, too,” she says.

In the meantime, Prescott feels like home. “It’s far enough from Southern California to feel new, but close enough that I can get back easily,” she says. “And I love the outdoors — the trails, the weather, the views. I like small campuses where you really get to know people. Being part of the cross-country team gave me a strong network right away.”

Tiffany speaks with the same calm focus whether she’s describing disassembling a Beechcraft Baron engine, analyzing crash patterns or explaining her evolving career plans. She’s still open to what’s ahead, but one thing is clear: whatever she builds next—whether it’s legal strategy or regulatory reform — she’ll create solutions from a foundation of understanding how things work.