I always wonder how many accidents are a result of an in-air medical problem.
Interesting to contemplate, alright, and some verra thoughtful replies
downthread...

Beginning 'way back' (i.e. when I was a wet-behind-the-ears soaring tyro, and
already seriously-interested in 'stuff' like soaring's life-ending risks,
etc.), I began to semi-regularly encounter 'the medical emergency rationale'
discussionally arising. Medical emergencies (and age-related mental
diminutions) are unarguably unavoidable over time (well, except by death, I
mean, sardonic chuckle). What to do about those risks is every pilot's
personal issue.

Not yet mentioned is something that - for me - has long raised a *potential*
red flag about *some* fellow soaring nuts. Without meaning to suggest a strong
correlation between the doubt inherent in the snippet above and any individual
pilot's actual judgment, I've always been reluctant to buy into 'medical
emergency' as my get out of jail free card as a pilot. Sure, medical
emergencies happen, but to exclusionarily dismiss whatever other lessons might
be drawn from this or that fatal accident is - IMHO - a disservice to the Joe
Pilot playing that card.

FWIW...
Bob W.