I've left this thread to develop for a few days before chipping in with our thoughts from the Towers.
It is very easy, warm and cuddly to take the apparent high moral ground and simply condemn speculation either on the grounds of taste or, far more spuriously, wait for the experts report. However there are several significant factors that cause Danny and I to have always refused to take that path.
First, foremost and the honest truth. Aviators tend not to have the coffee machine/water cooler discussion moments that other professions have. PPRuNe was concieved as an antidote to this. An electronic crew hotel bar where everyone can discuss the news of the day. Specifically, if there is an accident it will be a significant topic of discussion in every crew bar - PPRuNe simply mirrors and extends this. Conversations on PPRuNe can be 'overheard' in exactly the same way as in a downroute bar. The discussions can seem brutal and tactless but they are still valuable.
Next: As and until the aviation world seriously takes on aviation confidential safety reporting and disemination we provide vital information and discussion. A huge proportion of our pro readers are not covered by a Nasa or Chirps system, don't hear of best or even different practice and are shielded by a long career in an airline suffering from 'not invented here.' Gann's 'tryanny of the seniority number' extends to having no idea of what's happening outside a hermetically sealed, inward looking but 'mature' airline.
A case in point is a huge airline such as AA which over a period of many years indoctrinated its crews in handling techniques which are strange to those outside it. They are not alone in this. Cross fertilsation of SOP's and technique through discussion here is something we're very proud of. Prior to PPRuNe this only happened at high level within and across companies or at the aforesaid crew bar
Finally, PPRuNe provides a thorn in the sides of some, a pricker of consciences and, most importantly, a huge and vital collective memory in an industry that has expanded hugely and greatly diluted the hardwon and often tragic lessons of the past.
And so to accidents and the discussion of them here. Anyone who's been around a while knows the huge pressures on those producing accident reports in even the most developed aviation nations. Final drafts are delayed for months and years as airlines, airframers and engine manufacturers fight tooth and nail to influence the final report.
There were the usual objections to the discussions on the site regarding the Crossair Jumbolina crash. We were criticised for speculation, it was loathsome and any professional should simply wait for the outcome of the report.
Here we are now, entering the third winter since the accident. No wise discussion regarding the carefully drafted and checked deliberations? Why not???
The reason we encourage and allow speculation and discussion is because it only works for the good when the incident is fresh in the minds. Reviewing our own operations critically in the light of discussion is when it works best and sinks in. Whether as individual aviators, departments or publications it is the time when habits, procedures and culture can be changed with the maximum goodwill and enthusiasm. Years later just doesn't work. It's a simple as that.
The Crossair incident got line folks, trainers and boffins all thinking very hard about their work. Altitudes in windows - MDA or go around????? Implications for the autoflight system??? Observance of MSA's in a terminal radar environment. The effects of MEL allowances in icing and contamination conditions.
I could go on and on about what was discussed it in the aftermath of that accident. I could point out the huge learning that went on in every major accident that has happened in the 8 years PPRuNe has been extant. I suspect that every single reader learned something both new and extremely valuable regarding TCAS during the days immediately following the mid air over Switzerland.
Because of the intense, visceral effect of the tradgedy the learning will have stayed with most of us.
The fact is that in the immediate aftermath of an accident we find it is the time to learn from it - not years later. That's exactly how we work with our children and pets - we are no different.
The discussion simply will not happen in any great degree when the report comes out.
This is a basic truth about human beings - positive thought and change to our behaviour and attitudes comes in the immediate aftermath. We know we should giive up smoking, cut back on the drinking or stop riding that huge motorbike for years but don't until someone very close to us dies or something really frightens us.
Yep, we have to sort out the wheat from the chaff when we read these discussions. We know that the stupid and uninformed grab onto the wrong parts and start spouting whether on the site or in the press. However the site was started for aviation professionals - it remains that way and the benefits of discussion and speculation outweigh the negative factors many times over.
PPRuNe policy is that discussion, including speculation continues. You might find it interesting that we have drawn and recruited some of our most respected moderators from such discussions. Wise, experienced and thoughtful heads show up very strongly during these periods - why not searched on the posts by 'Belgique' to prove the point. If you're new to the site you'll soon draw up your own list of contributors you respect and will consciously or unconsciously give greater weight to opinions they post. There's a huge amount to be learned out there - PPRuNe does have its uses you know.........
Regards
Rob Lloyd
PS In case anyone hasn't drawn the true conclusion to my post here it is.
The final report very often doesn't matter to us. It will in all probability affect systemic operations and cultures way above our paygrade at a time far into the future from our day to day operations. It will have been cursed and castrated by the paranoid machinations of groundbound businessmen and lawyers. The causes may well be entirely different from the majority of the discussion on the site. This again is utterly immaterial - it has served its purpose, got us all thinking and learning again. We review our operations and compare them with others. We do it willingly and, usually, openly. It's the only time it happens on a grand scale and it is completely and utterly worthwhile for that reason alone.