Agreed, but it was a stupid thing to do, MDW is marginal on
good VFR days. IFR caused by low ceilings and visibilities
are not really a problem either, you either see and land on
a dry or wet runway or make a missed approach. But snow and
icy runways have poor braking, runway light obscured,
white-out conditions with attendant landing problems.
Airline pilots are well trained and regimented. This can be
good or bad. When "company pressure" makes non-operational
needs, such as the companies bottom line or on-time record,
more important issues can take a backseat.

PIC means that you take the heat, if necessary, from
passengers, chief pilot and upper management when you spend
a few hundred or thousands of dollars diverting. A good
chief pilot will support a well reasoned decision to divert.
There should be a pat on the back for a good safe diversion,
but often it is "chicken, we got in OK, why did everybody
else except you land." [The fact is that is rarely true,
lots of pilots divert or delay, but since they didn't crash,
who knows.]


--
James H. Macklin
ATP,CFI,A&P

"beavis" wrote in message
...
| The fact that this is the airline's first fatal crash in
nearly 35
| years of operation speaks volumes about its safety
culture. I'd put
| its record up against any airline's.