Threads about fatalities (was Light Aircraft Down, Today at ...)
First of all, if this post upsets friends or family of the people who died, I apologise. The following is not about that tragedy: it picks up the general debate on whether it's a good idea for forums like this to discuss specific recent fatalities.
There but for the grace of God go I. And if I die flying:
1. Condolences from people who don't know me will not help me or my loved ones. In fact, they might even cause offence.
2. I would want other pilots to learn from my accident. An informed and comprehensive investigation into what happened might help. Incomplete accounts or speculation will not (and may hinder the investigation). Discussing possible causes without adequate information and analysis does not necessarily save lives – if we're trying to navigate to a place called "safety" what's more helpful: no chart, or a wrong one?
3. There are official protocols for the public identification of accident victims, to prevent the next of kin hearing of their loved one's death through the media. I looked at the original thread, of course, in case it was someone I knew. Natural human tendency. But I would want my loved ones to hear of my death from a friend, club member or the authorities, not to read it on the net. In my experience, if you do know someone who's died, you will hear soon enough, believe me.
PPRUNE Towers suggested that threads about fatalities change pilots' behaviour, while accident reports months later do not do so. I'm not convinced. At the weekend I made a safe decision because of a report I must have read 14 years ago.
Now, a thread on WHAT HAS MADE YOU CHANGE YOUR BEHAVIOUR? would be interesting...
If you followed the original thread, you'll have gathered I'm with Monocock and Genghis on this one. In the public interest, or merely of interest to the public?
Birdwatcher