Originally Posted by
Camargue
snd - I do agree with your post and can feel your frustation but the fact remains with the level of CO in Sala's bloodstream both were almost certainly unconcious when the plane hit the water. Had the pilot been a 20,000 hour ATPL the end result would be the same (but we wouldnt know the cause as the plane would have more likely turfed in from fl150 and no bodies would have been found.) This doesnt change the legality of the flight but the cause of the crash was not down to a lack of qualifications.
But, does it make the outbound flight any more legal? Although CO has apparently been found in Sala DI was way outside his qualifications for both outbound and inbound flights. CO poisoning is irrelevant. The flight was illegal and Sala died as a result of a criminal act. From available transcripts, pilot qualifications and aircraft registry the flight was illegal. I’d lay good odds that DI didn’t know the return details until too late. He got airborne knowing a) the flight was illegal, b) he wasn’t qualified to fly that aircraft in those conditions at night. He went, and in doing so killed his passenger. CO poisoning was irrelevant to the legality of the flight and his knowledge of it. CO poisoning may have been an added extra to the already potentially lethal cocktail of bad weather, unqualified pilot and a lot of pressure. CO poisoning is no excuse for his willingness to break the law, it may just have been the final straw.
I’d be interested to know just how CO poisoning could have been detected, at the reported levels in a body that had been under seawater for so many days.
DI had no excuse, CO poisoning is no excuse. And the price was horrendous.
SND