Guys…..
Although all this talk of Va, fatigue and so on is a valid discussion to have in general, I think it’s a bit premature in the case of this accident. Apart from one or two very inconclusive media photos, there is nothing that I am aware of to indicate what the cause of the accident was. So why are we all talking about in flight break ups, when we have no idea yet if that is even what happened?
A couple of the previous accidents mentioned in this thread were pretty close to home for me, and I fully agree that this is a conversation that we, as an industry, need to have at some stage. But I also know how aggravating it is, when you’ve just lost a colleague or friend in a situation like this, to find yourself reading speculative online comments regarding the cause of the accident or PIC’s supposed lack of knowledge or training, when the people commenting are not yet in a position to know. Out of professional respect for the PIC and their family, friends and colleagues, I would humbly suggest that we hold off on this discussion until at least some of the facts are known.
Fly safe, everyone.