Strepsils
I completely agree that an IFSD in a two engine aircraft is not something to be sniffed at, and if it happened to me I'm certain it would increase the heart rate.
I think we are both having little snipes in areas we both feel passionately about.
I take your point that people shouldn't just brush aside these incidents. Any situation like this represents a reduction in safety and another hole lining up in the Swiss cheese, however these scenarios are planned for and there are procedures in place to prevent further holes lining up. We can rest assured that the AAIB will take these incidents seriously and will fully investigate and hopefully learn all possible lessons. The operator will also be keen to ensure that all lesson are learnt in the interested of passenger confidence.
My little snipe was against the media, who love to dramatise every incident because it helps sell papers and makes a fascinating read. They are portraying a drama and using the fact that fire engines met the aircraft to add effect to their story. Members of the public are unlikely to be aware that it is a completely standard procedure for emergency vehicles to meet arriving aircraft with any number of reported problems. The conclusion that the layman is likely to draw is that the aircraft concerned may have crash landed and that Flybe had a close call on this occasion.
I believe that this kind of reporting destroys public confidence in our industry which is why I’m keen to point out that it was not a drama.