(this link retains page formatting and is easier to read). Don't take the AI translation too literally.
The confirmation of anomalies in the performance of the pilots of Aeromexico Connect Flight 2431, who crashed while trying to take off from Durango Airport under the fury of a storm, triggered a scandalous bomb whose expansive wave has reached international proportions, so much that it deserves more analysis the role that each one is represented in this tragedy of public interest and the implications that already exist for the Pilots, their Guild, the Company, the Passengers and the Authorities:
The pilots. There is no doubt that they committed an inadmissible fault, beyond a pilot traveling in the cabin in the place known as "jump seat" as a passenger, which is common practice, which the captain allowed him to take the controls to carry out the takeoff (and that the first officer gave him his place) is an indefensible action that can be qualified from irresponsible to criminal. All three committed this fault knowing that it was illegal, because the "third pilot" in question still did not have the certification to fly that type of plane and although with this detail they wanted to manipulate the information, so that it is very clear: an airplane such as that in commercial service must be manned by TWO duly certified pilots with the corresponding capacity. Starting the flight without a qualified pilot to the controls makes the operation illegal and morally you can not separate from this fact anything that happened afterwards.
So serious is this matter that a whole series of questions have already been unleashed, inside and outside the industry, about what could be the real reasons why the pilots did such nonsense, and even if they were really fit to fly.
Nor has it been clarified if the aforementioned "third pilot" participated in the preflight briefing, reviewed the weather reports or followed any procedure to really help the captain to operate the aircraft safely, especially given the weather conditions that prevailed, that many prestigious pilots and meteorologists that I have consulted consider that they advised extreme precautions and even postpone take-off.
The flight did not begin to be hit by the microburst, that was partly unavoidable consequence of everything that was done before the start of the takeoff race, and the pilots of this tragic flight instead of fulfilling their duty, broke the law and safety procedures, including the fundamental protocol of "sterile cabin".
The authorities say that no pilot could have saved the plane from that storm, but no truly responsible and professional pilot would have done the nonsense that they committed, deliberately, before the tragedy ...
The guild It is inevitable that these events are stirring the bowels of the community - pilots aviators. It has been misinterpreted that the Association of Airline Pilots (ASPA) has the position to overlap the conduct of these pilots, but in fact is doing the right thing to defend due process in his dismissal by the airline, is nothing more than a labor issue and that is the main function of a union, both pilots and companies must fulfill their obligations. It is the Association of Pilots Aviators of Mexico, which in my humble opinion works as an appendix of ASPA, which should have a more defined role in this matter, and is that they have not even officially pronounced about it with a statement, at the same time who have shown themselves close to the investigation as an uncomfortable judge and part, represented in the investigation panel by pilots who are employees of Aeromexico, while in other cases they have not hesitated to point the finger, especially against general aviation or Companies that are not affiliated with ASPA.
On the other hand, it is a pity that for a few the prestige of many excellent and very professional aviator pilots is affected, many of whom I admire with great respect, but unfortunately those "few" are already becoming too many and the list of incidents of undisciplined pilots is already worrisome: there are many cases of pilots who do not respond to calls from the control tower as if they had fallen asleep, some who are heading to the wrong tracks, others who landed at the wrong airport and then escaped taking off again believing that no one would notice, passing by the idiot who turned off a motor in mid-flight just to brag and many others who play with the planes to show off on social networks, not to mention those who go on a spree in the overnight stays. This must stop, ASPA and the Pilots Association must paint the line well between protecting the rights of their members and overlapping the misdeeds of the irresponsible.
I value the friendship of several former General Secretaries of ASPA and I have recognized that the union was an important guarantor of aviation security, because before for a company having the union involved a cost that was very worthwhile, as it was partly a "sure" of the high level of its pilots. Unfortunately today, the facts point to the fact that this is no longer the case and in this sense I believe that ASPA is not "nor the dust of those muds".
I can not believe that there was little sensitivity, the day after the preliminary progress of the accident occurred, of publishing the call to hire 28 new co-drivers just for Aeroméxico Connect, requesting as requirements 18 years of age and 250 total hours of flight, when they know perfectly well that their peers in the United States, by law, do not accept them with less than 21 years and 1,500 flight hours, precisely because they know the importance of that experience to ensure airline safety on the airlines. In the United States, the pilots' unions supported and defended the increase of requirements to be able to fly in the airlines, which they affirm has contributed to reduce the accident and incident rate; that in Mexico the regulations on the matter are obsolete is not an impediment for the guild of pilots to assume their responsibility in this problem and support that greater requirements are demanded.
Hopefully they can recognize this situation, leave pride aside and take more concrete actions to ensure that they do not reach the irresponsible and incapable pilot booths, and this beautiful profession is extolled ...
The company. Aero Litoral SA de CV, part of the Aeromexico Group that operates under the commercial name of Aeroméxico Connect, faces its biggest crisis with this problem. The first anniversary of the Group's partnership with Delta Airlines was just celebrated, and I know from good sources that the "gringos" are very concerned about the consequences that this situation could bring. Although Andrés Conesa, president of the Aeroméxico Group, when he made himself known about the pilots' actions, he dismissed them, at the time of this publication he has not yet issued a statement with an official statement to the public opinion, and this is very criticized, since passengers deserve an explanation urgently.
However, the internal statement on dismissal, which harshly qualifies the conduct of the pilots, hints at the seriousness of the matter and affirms the importance of not allowing the support of the 16 thousand families that depend on Aeromexico to be put at risk. the confidence of the 20 million passengers who are owed. Although the company is seen as a "victim" of the "deliberate violation of procedures" by the pilots, the damage has already been done and the trust of the passengers has already been put at risk, despite the obvious attempt to minimize the media. lack of pilots and open the "Chinese box" of the invincible and unpredictable climate as a direct cause of the accident, there are already many mass media that have explained things in detail.
The Aeromexico Group only has to assume its responsibility and I believe that managers should also roll heads, since in the areas of operational safety and training it is evident that it has failed, and in order to regain confidence in the company they should hire the The best experts in the world to occupy those positions, no matter what the cost and "cackle", otherwise it will not be easy to heal the wounds caused to the prestige of the airline.
And he still has to endure the blow of a storm as strong as the one that supposedly threw his plane: that of the lawsuits and insurance problems, which already clouds the clouds above his head ...
The passengers. The rights of passengers is the first thing that must be protected. The competition for the airlines is very strong and it goes without saying that the effort of all employees, especially flight crews, is essential to preserve the preference of customers.Frankly Aeromexico is not very good, for several years has been declining in the preference of passengers, just remember that in the "ranking" of the 100 best airlines in the world fell to the painful place 99 and with this scandal of the pilots of the plane Durango will surely go very wrong.
I set myself as an example and I must confess that I decided for almost a year and a half not to fly more for Aeromexico, due to the bad experience I suffered on a flight to Paris, when someone took my hand luggage from the plane and left another suitcase very similar instead;the flight attendants behaved badly, totally irresponsible and unrelated to the seriousness of the matter, especially since there was a terrorist alert in Europe and it was a few days after some attacks in London. I had to solve the problem on my own (and with the help of the Police), because the airline staff literally fled from their responsibility. I think that Aeroméxico has lowered its guard in terms of quality of service as well as operational safety, which has been noted, but this is an issue that concerns the entire industry, as there are other airlines that are better placed his beards to soak.
It is up to all of us to face the challenge of overcoming this crisis and take care that the flight personnel of all aviation companies, commercial and private, are up to the standards of safety, efficiency and world class service. The passengers deserve the peace of mind to be sure that they are in the best hands ...
The authorities. Which? Well, the General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics (DGAC) and its Investigation Commission of the Accident, headed by engineer Luis Gerardo Fonseca.
The role that the DGAC is playing in this whole issue seems very sad to me and is being criticized at a global level, which is a shame for our country. Revealing with such shyness and underestimating the participation of the so-called "third pilot" brought and taken is very worrying. Such a blunder could be explained by Hanlon's Principle, where something that is simply stupid can not be attributed to evil, but the way in which the DGAC avoids pointing out that this plane should not have taken off with such irregularities leaves us with many suspicions, since it seems that they are protecting certain interests, instead of pointing out the facts with the force, integrity and impartiality expected of the Authority.
The omission on the part of said authorities and the company to mention the existence of the "third pilot" since the accident in Durango (since they gave the names of the crew with all clarity) contributes to accentuate the illegality of the action of the pilots and it can not be alleged that it was an "unauthorized habilitation session", since this pilot was not in the process of his training, and it is clear that he only intended to move to Mexico City, destination of the unfortunate flight, using a service That by the way was already restricted by the airline.
Unfortunately, the DGAC has lost almost all its credibility, the poverty with which it works is balanced between incompetence and corruption. Sadly it is already a "cliché" that every time there is an air accident that reaches public scrutiny, irregularities are discovered with the pilots' licenses. Therefore it is understandable that it is already questioned behind the scenes that the inspectors of the DGAC, related to the processes of certifying as fit the pilots involved in this accident (and many others), may not have been properly qualified.
The clear condition of judge and part of the DGAC in this matter is fueling a very scandalous tide of speculation, alleged leaks and data on those involved, which is generating great concern and I believe that for the sake of the aviation industry all these rumors and suspicions should be well clarified and dissipated ...
The complexity of this issue is already a matter of national security and prestige and I believe that the Attorney General's Office (PGR) should be involved in thoroughly investigating all aspects beyond the competence of the DGAC and other parties. I know from a good source that there are already people working on a complaint of this nature, as they consider it very important to clarify well if there is corruption or cover-up behind this unfortunate case.
There are many things to clarify beyond what happened at the time of the fateful "microburst", as what pilots did the previous day and night did they rest well? What were the results of the medical assessment of the pilots immediately after the accident? Or how he went to detail his training and qualification as Embraer 190 pilots. They are very important points, it is not about crucifying anyone, but about quieting the rumors, giving certainty to the public opinion and identifying problems that may be threatening the security and that could warrant the implementation of corrective actions as soon as possible.
This whole situation reminds me of the movie "The Flight", a story of fiction where the character played by Denzel Washington is a pilot who faces with great skill a situation in flight almost impossible to save, but having committed a serious fault directly related to the accident. When, thanks to the great bureaucratic and legal apparatus that protects it, it is about to escape responsibility for its lack, it has the integrity and moral courage to speak the whole truth and face the consequences of its actions with a clear conscience. But it seems that only happens in movies ...
regards
Héctor Dávila.