I hope everyone involved in this accident continues along the pathway to good health and it is great news that they appear to have been well supported by Qantas.
I don't know these guys from a bar of soap, but reading through this thread and most of the media articles, it appears both Doug and Ross were really top blokes. Top blokes with bucket-loads of experience.
Unfortunately, really top blokes are not immune from making bad decisions - and bad decisions don't always result in horrible accidents.
As an outsider it is disappointing that with all of their collective experience, that the following decisions were made that appear to have contributed to the loss of life.
- one of the pilots not having a type rating
- utilising the engineer to "manipulate" the engines - what a CRM nightmare this would have been when it all turned to custard
- having the pax onboard
Of course, the most likely outcome of this flight would normally have been that everyone had a time and it was a terrific success all-round.
Unfortunately, something went wrong, and the whole thing unraveled.
I know how these events are formulated - it all seems like a good idea at the time and everyone has the best of intentions - but look at the outcome.
Stay safe everyone!