I wonder what the regulatory response would have been if they’d all died in a crash on the road, the father having finally succumbed to fatigue during one of the 15 hour drives. (Actually, I don’t wonder.)
With hindsight, of course anyone in his or her right mind would avoid a flight during which the pilot is going to make fatal decisions. But it does not follow that avoiding that flight would have guaranteed the passengers’ survival.
How many people die of a condition as a consequence of the impracticalities of road travel to specialists? How many people die during long road trips to specialist appointments? I do not know, precisely, but I do know it’s more than die during Community Service flights.
While ever the answers to these questions are irrelevant to the aviation regulator, it will continue to be expedient for the aviation regulator to shift ever more risk out of sight and out of mind. But make no mistake: there is a cost to society every time the shift happens.