Helicopters

[Sprocket]

Not really. That's a bit unfair on accident investigators, who do a very good job in often difficult circumstances. If an official accident report by a recognised authority says it's down to pilot error, that's good enough for me.

There have been several cases of reports by recognised authorities being flawed in the past and too quick to blame pilots, though they are very professional people much does depend on the evidence available. I have seen crash sites with nothing larger than the size of a cigarette packet left of the aircraft or the occupants. So piecing together from that how in particular a light aircraft met its fate is no easy task. It is fair to say that in absence of conflicting evidence what else does one conclude? Unless a proven mechanical or on more modern aircraft software failure occurs, what is left but pilot error or the weather? As pilot in command not hitting things is ones own responsibility, so doing so is a form of pilot error (whatever the weather conditions), unless for some reason the aircraft is uncontrollable, such as due to a mechanical/software failure or pilot incapacitation.

As stated above though these things are not usually due to one single error, it is often a whole chain of mistakes or poor decisions. I think personally there may be issues of rapidly changing visibility and overwhelming pilot workload but this ought to have been picked up in the planning stage of the flight (which would include studying likely weather conditions over the estimated duration of the flight at suitable diversion airfields/heliport etc).

What surprises me more about the whole thing is the amazing knee jerk reaction from the public. Two people died which is tragic. How many people died on the roads in London on the same day or during the same week I wonder, without a word being said?

[BDunnell]

There have been several cases of reports by recognised authorities being flawed in the past and too quick to blame pilots, though they are very professional people much does depend on the evidence available.

Well, there have, but I was (and really should have qualified this) referring to the UK, where I'm struggling to think of a report that has subsequently been made out to be badly flawed.

What surprises me more about the whole thing is the amazing knee jerk reaction from the public.

I don't think there has been. Sections of the press and certain politicians tried to whip up a bit of outrage, but nothing more.

[Sprocket]

Well, there have, but I was (and really should have qualified this) referring to the UK, where I'm struggling to think of a report that has subsequently been made out to be badly flawed.


I don't think there has been. Sections of the press and certain politicians tried to whip up a bit of outrage, but nothing more.

Well as it is not the objective of the AAIB to apportion blame, lets just say it depends how close to an accident one is to how one reads between the lines, so I might differ on your first point. There are a couple of reports I can think of in the past 5 years that have drawn an awful lot of comments from the aviation community who knew the pilots involved.

I used to work quite near the crash site, but now live out in the sticks, so can't really judge local reaction, certainly though the press seemed to be making as much of it as possible at the time and this included quotes/interviews with several outraged locals. I was rather thinking also how it appears on many unrelated forums too, it seems to be something a lot of people of talking about, whereas road accidents with multiple deaths rarely make the national news.

[BDunnell]

Well as it is not the objective of the AAIB to apportion blame, lets just say it depends how close to an accident one is to how one reads between the lines, so I might differ on your first point. There are a couple of reports I can think of in the past 5 years that have drawn an awful lot of comments from the aviation community who knew the pilots involved.

I can think of one where I'm aware of similar discord. In these cases, though, I do wish sometimes that pilots, rather than muttering about the deficiencies of a report in private, would take their concerns back to the AAIB if they feel so strongly about them.

[Sprocket]

I can think of one where I'm aware of similar discord. In these cases, though, I do wish sometimes that pilots, rather than muttering about the deficiencies of a report in private, would take their concerns back to the AAIB if they feel so strongly about them.

Oh we do, trust me, either directly or through organisations such as AOPA

[BDunnell]

Oh we do, trust me, either directly or through organisations such as AOPA

I'm sure you do, but in the instance I mentioned no-one, as far as I know, did.

[Sprocket]

I'm sure you do, but in the instance I mentioned no-one, as far as I know, did.

Which was that I'm intrigued!

[BDunnell]

Which was that I'm intrigued!

Would rather not discuss on a public forum.