Sadly, I've got a box of shattered electronics sitting next to my office chair that came from the fatal accident of a good friend. After a lot of very dedicated and diligent work by the Pennsylvania State Police, FAA, and then the NTSB including the NTSB Electronics lab, they were able to recover the last few minutes of the flight from a badly fragged FLARM. Every one of the guys I dealt with was professional, caring, and interested in finding solutions.

That's not to say it was straightforward. They went down a few rabbit holes due to "procedures" that were frustrating at times. I had to invest some personal time to gain the confidence of the NTSB guy, but once that happened, they made me a formal party to the investigation and gave me full access to their information and findings. I think a lot of it depends on the usual relationship building skills. If you go in thinking they are a bunch of government hacks you'll probably find government hacks. If you approach them as professionals and show that you are willing and able to help, they are good guys.

Been my experience with most of the FAA guys I've dealt with over 30 years as well. Not perfect by any means, but decent enough guys if you come at them the right way.

Erik Mann
P3





On Wednesday, April 8, 2020 at 12:30:37 PM UTC-4, wrote:
I'll push back on the blanket condemnation of the FAA/NTSB. I should wait for someone with more specific knowledge to comment but my understanding is that they were quite conscientious and helpful in a recent accident investigation in our area.

My experience with the Feds has been mixed. Some are sharp, knowledgeable, open minded, and want to help. Others are self-important, insecure, blustering bureaucrats who jump to conclusions. It's a wide spectrum, sort of like with glider pilots, as we've seen on this forum from time to time.

Nothing is ever all good or bad. I suspect, as in most areas of our lives, how we behave and interact with the Feds has something to do with how they treat us. And that, in turn, probably has some impact on how they treat the next glider pilot they encounter.

Chip Bearden
ASW 24