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  #54  
Old March 2nd 05, 04:26 AM
Dudley Henriques
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Yes, this is a viable argument Jose, and very well might be the way it plays
out. In fact, there is I think, a very good chance that this is exactly how
it will play out. There is however another scenario, and it also may become
a player for this Captain. It all depends on a; if any regs were violated,
which is up for grabs at this point, then b; how the BA front office and
Chief Pilot view the decision from the company policy standpoint. I've seen
a few real good pilots go down company wise after coming up clean on a
decision regulations wise. It happens out here.
The difference between the two landings scenario is that the first option,
to dump and return, would have been an action taken to counter an existing
situation. The second landing has an additional data point missing from the
first. It was the result of a calculated decision made by the Captain to
extend into the flight plan. This decision ADDED to the situation when the
fuel came up short. In other words, the decision to extend was flawed. It's
a subtle difference, but it could be THE difference for this Captain.
There is also the matter of precedent. Committing to a flight plan with
paying passengers on three engines when the flight plan was computed and
accepted for four engine performance, and then coming up short on the flight
plan due to fuel is something the BA front office will be looking at VERY
closely.
Could be this guy will come up smelling like a bouquet of roses..........but
perhaps not. I'm not making a call on this by any means. I'm just guessing
like everybody else. I wasn't there, and I won't second guess the guy who
was.
The real culprit in this kind of thing is that in many cases for the
professional pilot, you're dammed if you do....and you're damned if you
don't. It "ain't" an easy business.
I hope he made the right decision whatever that was; for his sake; for the
sake of his passengers; and also for the company.
Dudley Henriques
International Fighter Pilots Fellowship
Commercial Pilot; CFI; Retired
dhenriquestrashatearthlinktrashdotnet
(take out the trash :-)


"Jose" wrote in message
...
The fact remains that this Captain made a decision to continue that
involved not only the engine scenario, but as well an ending condition
that involved an unscheduled landing due to conditions that would not
have been present without his having proceeded with the engine condition.


I don't understand this statement. Had the captain elected to do
something else, there would still be an unscheduled landing. With more
fuel on board. In fact, by continuing, the captain ended up with the
greatest probability of =not= having an unscheduled landing.

Jose
--
Nothing is more powerful than a commercial interest.
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