Originally Posted by
Twist & Shout
If someone was in the position to own and operate an AW139 for personal use, how would they ensure their pilots were up to the task? What could the owner have done to discover or rectify their total lack of proficiency?
In all honesty the owners don’t care or care to know. In my experience with owners of these types of operations, it is not a priority per se if their pilot/mechanic skill set is top notch but rather if they produce results when the owner wants them. The rest is secondary. Same goes with the mechanical condition of the aircraft in most cases. And unfortunately if said pilot, or mechanic/shop, does not perform to the owners satisfaction they will be let go as there is always someone else to step in.
It’s this same type of owner that if they had the desire/capabilities to fly would be making the same type flights and killing those close just like these pilots. Are there smart owners? Sure. But you never see them in the news as they maintain/operate their aircraft at a level we understand or use a fractional aircraft to achieve that same level.
And while most of us who work/worked in aviation day in and day out cannot fathom how any aircraft can be operated in such a manner, most of us usually worked under a veil rules, policies, and procedures that gave us a route to decline a flight or ground an aircraft. Whereas the career future of most pilots and mechanics that work for these fringe Part 91 private ops is based on a single yes or no.
So unless global regulatory authorities move to require a higher oversight of all Part 91 type ops, there will still be accidents like this without fail. And if you look at the data, money doesn’t have anything to do with it. It’s strictly a mindset.