In article ,
ET wrote:
That just makes too much sense... In a car, you have at least as much
chance of dying as the result of someone ELSES stupidity as your own,
while in an aircraft the vast majority of possible fatal incidents are
under your direct control as the Pilot....

I can only think of a few instances where someone elses stupidity comes
into play... mid air (contributory), runway incursion,.... of course a
mechanic who screws something up that is not visible on inspection......

There is risk in everything that we do. Driving in a car, even with a
competent driver, has to be riskier than flying in a well-maintained
single engine airplane with a competent and proficient pilot.

Unfortunately, it seems to be very difficult to assess the competency
and proficiency of a dead pilot after the accident. The only statistics
I've ever seen appear to lump all pilots together, with some exceptions
for data on certificates and ratings, which still don't do much to
assess the pilot's skill or judgment. Human beings in the pilot
community often try to deflect attention away from the dead pilot by
calling the that person a "great pilot" or "very experienced," which
doesn't help if the pilot wasn't faithful to those traits. While most
accidents appear to point to pilot error, there are some very good
pilots who just happen to draw the short straw that day. However, the
same observation is possible with virtually any activity.

I can't drive 1 mile down the road without having someone cut me off,
slam on their brakes and turn without signaling, cross the center line
into my lane, etc. I don't have any of those concerns in flight. I'm
sorry, but I simply can't believe that I'm safer on the road than in
flight, based on my own first-hand experience.

I haven't been following this thread, so I'm not sure what the latest is
on the accident that started this thread. Based on what I've read,
though, it sounds like a botched landing and an incorrect or unlucky
recovery. If that's the case, the cause will likely point to pilot
error that could have been prevented by better skill, judgment, or both.



JKG