Having read this thread with interest and sadness (I knew Steve Brown...from a few years back) can we all show a little more respect and just let the TAIC get on with it?
Albatross..grow up buddy, a little less reference to crackpipes and weed would go a long way to improving your credibility..as it is.....Luke has plenty of experience in light twins (just saying to add some more credibility to what he has to say..but NOT taking sides here)
MOR, I know your an experienced operator, and I respect your comments and assessments that I've viewed to date, I would take issue however with your assertion about SPIFR Ops. More fatalities occur on multi-crew a/c worldwide than single crew ops....purely on that basis, you are more likely to be hurt or killed in a medium T/P or Jet..than say a Seneca..etc. Having said all that and to put this issue into perspective....statistically, putting your pants on is more of a risk than flying on public transport.
I would concede however that NZ like certain parts of Europe, the Northern US, and Canada, have a particular problem with accident RATES pertaining to GA Ops. Personally IMHO I believe this has far more to do with risk management, training, and the ability and confidence to be aware and understand the unforgiving environment in which these SPIFR (IMC) accidents occur.
It is to simplistic to say GA is inherently more risky. I believe it is more accurate to say GA operators are unable to offer the safety margins enjoyed by the larger operators. Economics, operational constraints, performance issues as well as a host of other poorly understood imponderables all do their little bit to erode safety.
The fact that this accident seems to have polarised opinions is perhaps indicative of the differences that we all percieve in day to day Ops. I myself fly T/P's single crew, and am now about to fly Heavy jets multi-crew, in both instances I view the risk as minimal...Steve Brown who is no longer here to defend himself would probably have had an opinion as well. Perhaps its time we all took a step back and let the investigators get on with it..and in the process cool off a bit.
Just my thoughts and opinions..
cheers H
