Originally Posted by
Timelord
I have been following this thread and others like it for some time without joining in, but now I will stick my head above the parapet. Firstly, I have no knowledge or experience of the higher functioning of the airworthiness or legal systems. I was just a crew dog for nearly thirty years and had some vicarious connections with the Moray Firth mid air.
I am afraid that I just do not see the point of never ending demands for more and more enquiries. We know what happened, we know that better radar coverage and a Collision avoidance system would have helped and we know that the CAS had been delayed several times by senior officers trying to save a few pennies at the behest of their political masters. TCAS was quickly fitted to the GR4 fleet in the aftermath.
What more can be achieved? Identifying this or that long posted or retired VSO who signed something incriminating?
Finally, let us not forget that there was a survivor of this accident. Has anyone asked him if he wants to go through it all again?
TL
Perhaps a less... selfish, for want of a better word, attitude might be a little more widespread than you think.
Who knows what secrets a thorough and independent enquiry might turn up?
Given the history of the RAF & MoD for covering up errors and poor judgement in relation to specifications, and indeed, gash admin at squadron level, an inquiry might save a life in the future. Yes we all think we know the overt cause of the Moray Firth crash, but what else was going on?
Anyone who has any doubts about the effectiveness of such an enquiry need only look at a few previous reports. The truly dangerous element is the repetitive nature of failings. When the report makes recommendations which were already policy at the time of the incident, that's when you can see that the system is failing.
Why is it that we seem to need a fatal accident to get people and processes put under the microscope?