First Air 737 crash - Canada

[brianw999]

Evan makes a good point there actually. The human mindset is to not be blameworthy for anything that goes wrong, to not have to be in the position where others say "xxxxxxxxx happened and it was YOUR fault" This attitude extends past life itself. While obviously not being particularly happy to die in an air crash, a pilot will prefer to go with the knowledge that it wasn't his fault rather than to be remembered by all and sundry that he was the fool who caused all those deaths.
Personal pride is a very powerful emotion.

[MCM]

Any pilot that survives an accident that causes significant damage to an aeroplane, or, God forbid, injuries and fatalities, will blame himself far beyond what any investigator can apportion to him/her.

We know our jobs, and we know that we are there to protect our passengers, cargo, and aeroplane. I've never heard a pilot say 'but it wasn't my fault' unless it genuinely wasn't.

I don't think that we need any more reminding to follow 'safe procedure'. There are very few 'rogue' approaches these days. Failure to adhere to stable approach criteria, yes, but not in a 'rogue' way. Due to stress, overload, sure. But not the blaze approach we used to see.

[Evan]

Any pilot that survives an accident that causes significant damage to an aeroplane, or, God forbid, injuries and fatalities, will blame himself far beyond what any investigator can apportion to him/her.

We know our jobs, and we know that we are there to protect our passengers, cargo, and aeroplane. I've never heard a pilot say 'but it wasn't my fault' unless it genuinely wasn't.

I don't think that we need any more reminding to follow 'safe procedure'. There are very few 'rogue' approaches these days. Failure to adhere to stable approach criteria, yes, but not in a 'rogue' way. Due to stress, overload, sure. But not the blaze approach we used to see.

MCM - Look at recent history: crashes since 2010 involving large turbofan aircraft not attributed to weather, excluding Russian and sub-African and certain third world operations.

13 April 2013 - Lion Air Flight 904 - unstable approach continued - PIC disregards repeated warnings by F/O to go around - go around at 20ft asl.


6 July, 2013 - Asiana Airlines Flight 214 - unstable approach continued - unsafe autopilot mode clearly not intended for final used as a workaround to get down on GS. PIC disregards speed warnings from PNF.

14 August, 2013 - UPS Airlines Flight 1354 - unstable approach continued - despite sink rate warnings


20 August, 2011 - First Air Flight 6560 - unstable approach continued - PIC disregards warnings by F/O.


28 July, 2010 - Airblue Flight 202 - unstable approach continued - PIC ignores concerns of F/O


22 May, 2010 - Air India Express Flight 812 - unstable approach continued - PIC disregards repeated warnings by F/O to go around.



12 May, 2010 - Afriqiyah Airways Flight 771 - unstable approach continued until late G/A - PIC takes priority from F/O and pitches plane into the ground


I don't know about 'blaze approaches', but most of these I would categorize as reckless approaches. In each of these there is clearly blame that falls upon the PIC. Incredibly, these accidents continue to happen. PIC's continue to make these unsafe approaches and continue to ignore their first officers better wisdom.

After far fewer accidents involving lithium batteries, lithium batteries were blamed and restrictions were placed upon them. I see a PIC who believes stable approach criteria doesn't apply to him to be at least as hazardous as a pallet of lithium batteries, yet we hesitate to blame him.

Respectfully, I disagree that we don't need any more reminding to follow safe procedure. From where I sit, I think we need much more emphasis on this.