Originally Posted by
dagenham
hypothetically, if there is a situation where airworthiness is an issue and the pilot in charge screws up through nothing to do with airworthiness, are we not advocating that this is airworthiness related rather than both being discrete events that at some point do need to be brought together but only once route cause has been established … correlation not being causality, or am I again missing something?
is there a risk, that the many issues raised on airworthiness ( quite rightly too ) start to deflect on other important issues?
ANY anomaly uncovered in an investigation MUST be fully investigated and resolved, regardless of suspected impact on the investigation in hand. And must be reported in the official investigation report. This is widely ignored and leads to recurrence (which is a factor to be considered when looking at gross negligence or corporate manslaughter).
Plainly, one must be absolutely sure the anomaly (in your example, airworthiness) was NOT a causal factor. This has not been confirmed here, as the entire issue has been swept under the carpet.
The CAA made a basic error, in turn affecting all airworthiness and maintenance activities. There could be no valid safety argument. The investigator MUST ask if this occurred before, is it still happening, and what is the regulator doing to correct its error? Only after this work is complete can one form a final judgment on the direct effect on the current accident. On Shoreham, that work has not yet commenced, probably because it would reveal recurrence; in turn risking future occurrences. Who benefits?
Here, I would argue, those who attend an air show rather assume (if they even think about it) that the aircraft they're watching are airworthy, serviceable and fit for purpose. It could be said they enter into a contract with the organisers to this effect, who in turn rely upon the CAA, the operator, and, ultimately, the pilot. Too many think 'ultimately' means only the pilot can be at fault. That chain of responsibility was definitely broken by the organisers, CAA and operator before the pilot entered the aircraft. I can't comment on his actions, as I'm not a pilot. He's been cleared, the others have not yet been investigated.