Knee Jerks

Why is it everytime someone posts an accident, there are those who
quickly make a decision or pronouncement that it was stupid, or the
pilot was a moron, or, etc, etc, and never have a clue as to the real
happenings?
Why does it take well trained professional crash investigators to do a
full investigation that may last several weeks, months, years, to
determine what happened when they could just take a quick look here and
see what the "experts" have to say?
There have been several crashes in recent days which is disturbing as
hell to me and they have been well publicized. In nearly all of these
crashes, there have been eye witnesses who breathlessly describe what
they saw, or THINK they saw and the media laps it up as if it were
gospel. Often the witness can't tell the difference in a Cessna and a
Piper or a JetRanger. Then, to make matters worse, there are those
amatuers, and a few more pros, who make immediate pronouncements as to
what happened and who is to blame.
I have been guilty of making statements in the past that turned out to
be only partly right because I didn't have all the facts. In 50 years
of flying I've learned that if you aren't in the airplane or ar not
doing the flying, or are not looking right at the action with a
professional eye, why make a fool of yourself with knee jerk
statements?
Dudley, if you are still here, what do you think? You've been around
long enough and have been to enough crashes to have some ideas on the
subject.
Rocky

wrote:

Then, to make matters worse, there are those
amatuers, and a few more pros, who make immediate pronouncements as to
what happened and who is to blame.

I concluded that pilots, at least those whom I encountered locally, who
were too quick to label an accident pilot were either overcompensating for
their own aviation insecurities/inabilities or just had an overly large
ego.

--
Peter

by "Peter R." Feb 13, 2006 at 09:14 PM

I concluded that pilots, at least those whom I encountered locally, who
were too quick to label an accident pilot were either overcompensating
for
their own aviation insecurities/inabilities or just had an overly large
ego.

I talked to my pilot friend about the rash of crashes the previous weekend
(before the California Rash). He generally believes if the plane is
well-maintained, and if the pilot is diligent and doesn't push minimums,
the risk is minimal.

I asked him about the seemingly obligatory post- crash commentary ("He was
such a good pilot." or "He was a hero for avoiding the
house/school/shopping center"), and asked if he thought the dead pilots
might have the same opinions.

He obviously considered this, but still seemed to think a crash was pretty
much beyond the realm of possibility in his case. I think his attitude
(Denial: Can't happen to me. I'm careful and fly a relatively new, well
maintained plane) is a psychological defense mechanism to disregard the
risk.

It seems to me that the risk IS minimal for the well trained pilot who
doesn't get too comfortable, but risk does exist and even a proficient
pilot who does everything right might crash under a combination of
problems and/or errors.

wrote:
Why is it everytime someone posts an accident, there are those who
quickly make a decision or pronouncement that it was stupid, or the
pilot was a moron, or, etc, etc, and never have a clue as to the real
happenings?

Maybe because some of us are tired of seeing accidents posts in an ng
titled "piloting" rather than "crashing" or "gory" or ... you get the point.


Matt

is crashing not a part of piloting?

buttman wrote:
is crashing not a part of piloting?

No.

buttman wrote:
is crashing not a part of piloting?

Not if you are a good pilot.


Matt

Matt Whiting wrote:
buttman wrote:

is crashing not a part of piloting?


Not if you are a good pilot.


Matt


So, you are saying that all the pilots that had a crash are bad pilots?

Arketip wrote:

Matt Whiting wrote:

buttman wrote:

is crashing not a part of piloting?



Not if you are a good pilot.


Matt



So, you are saying that all the pilots that had a crash are bad pilots?

Since the topic here is piloting, I'm ruling out aircraft problems as
that isn't a piloting issue. So, yes, in this context.

Matt

There are accidents - a crank breaks on an otherwise perfectly
functioning engine - a microburst downdraft on short final in otherwise
clear air - a bird impact that blinds the pilot - icing encounters that
were not forecast - the vacuum pump goes bad - and so on... However,
the vast majority of "accidents" - 98% -are not accidental, they are
caused... There is a chain of events that leads up to the crash that
would have been prevented, could have been prevented, and should have
been prevented, had the pilot done his job before leaving the ground...
Examples:
Other than a fuel line breaking in flight there is no excuse for
running out of fuel - none - zero - nada... A pilot who runs out of
fuel should lose his certificate imediately and permanently.. He is not
fit to pilot an aircraft...
CFIT no exuse - none - zero - nada....
Busting a TFR - ADIZ, no excuse - none - zero - nada (there is also no
excuse for the TFR's, but that is another rant) They are published...
They don't move, they don't hide behind a cloud... You are required by
regulatory law to review restricted and prohibited airspace along your
route of flight before leaving the ground... There is no excuse...

Now, how about other stuff... Such as running off the runway in a
cross wind... An accident? Nope... Pilot error, pure and simple... If
the pilot did his job he would know what the maximum crosswind the
airplane can handle is, and he would have set a maximum crosswind that
HE is prepared to handle... Should be right on his check list - e.g. 8
KT crosswind limit... Check the AWOS or ATIS and if it exceeds the
limit, use another runway or another airport...
Landing downwind and running off the end... doh!!!! Need we say
more...
Hitting the ground on an instrument approach (recent)... Pure pilot
error... Either set the altimeter wrong, or went below minimums...
Snuff one pilot...
VFR into IMC (well, let's just go awhile and take a look, it should
get better) uhuh, sure it will with an area forecast for lowering
ceilings!
Giving ATC your position from the airport 180 degrees wrong and
altitude off by 2000 feet... (KJAX last year - hysterical, you should
have heard it)... Finally admitted he had a new GPS and wasn't sure how
to read it... (You should have heard the disgust in the controllers
voice after he had to issue warnings to all aircraft in the area
because this bozo did not know where he was (only off by 20 miles and
2000 feet)...
Going to a dawn patrol last year, the V tail Bonanza last year that
passed over top of me on downwind at least 2000 feet higher and
announced he was on downwind... Then proceeded to angle left about 30
degrees unannounced (not a base turn), then make a hard 150 degree
turn and announce he was short final (I was on base by then, and I had
announced) while he was 3 miles out and still high... At this point I
began to believe that this dip wad would run into me from behind if
given the chance so I elected to make a right turn and continue
downwind a bit, announcing to the heavy inbound traffic my intentions
and position every ten seconds... I let him pass me close on the left
and then completed my pattern, with a conga line of planes following
me... On the ground one of the guys came over to me and said he was
the plane behind me during landing and had just heard this bozo in the
food line ranting about the 'idiot' that cut him off, and did I want to
do anything about it as he would back up my story... I declined to make
an issue of it and went on my way...

All of us want to believe the best of our fellow pilots... But you only
have to talk to your FSDO inspector for a bit to see how tired he is of
hearing endless excuses for what was the pilot's responsibility to
prevent in the first place...

denny