While I concur wholeheartedly with your sentiments, I have a slightly
different view of debates surrounding accidents.
Aviation is a unique business and those participating in it have unique
skills.
It does not further knowledge to wait for a predictable report, arriving in
a year, which concludes that "Both pilots were in VMC and responsible for
their own separation."
"Neither pilot had filed a flight plan."

No one wishes the families of accident victims ill. We all empathize with
their grief.
On the other hand, if we can learn one single thing from ongoing discussion
that will make our flying safer, we ought not stifle such a discussion.
The Airlines learned this many years ago. Within days of an accident or
incident, there is a full disclosure (usually internal) of the events
surrounding the episode.
The hope is that the professional aviator can and will learn from such an
event. Perhaps by questioning his or her own behavior or by imagining what
could have been done differently to avoid the accident, one can become a
safer pilot.

This is not a bad thing and no disrespect to participants or survivors is
intended or implied.

The day we stop learning from the mistakes of others (and ourselves) is the
day we should "hang it up and retire to the rocking chair."

Allan

"Jack" wrote in message
...
The emotional responses to accidents are even more predictable than the
causes.

I can't remember an instance where the wife of a professional pilot
involved
in a tragic accident did not immediately conclude that pilot error could
not
possibly have been a factor, because her husband was such a conscientious
professional. Often the facts eventually prove otherwise. Nor have I seen
an
instance where members of the public didn't immediately offer explanations
for an accident about which they could not possibly have any direct
knowledge. That too is natural human behavior, unfortunately.

The media, mercenaries who fan emotional sparks for their own purposes,
prod
us to jump to conclusions (sometimes with the help of so-called
"experts"),
while the real experts, investigators who actually have the responsibility
to find the truth, take many months to publish an official finding.

It's not too much to ask that the family and friends be given plenty of
leeway, and that the rest of us exercise restraint. Those still in shock
from the loss cannot be expected to be objective. The rest of us can
certainly sympathize, and while doing so it might be wise to also give
thanks that we are not in a position to empathize.



Jack