Hi all
just a short note regarding this painful case.
When investigating the LX498 crash (Zurich, 10Jan 2000) we travelled to Moscow, St Petersburg and Cisinau (Moldova) as the Captain was a Moldovan national and former (pre 1989) Aeroflot regional pilot.
Our knowledge of selection, training and operations in the FSU needed to be updated and documented.
This was an enriching and valuble experience which highlighted the professionalism of personnel, operations and proceedures in FSU and the use of Russian equipment.
However it also highlighted the different approach to HUFAC and its application. In particular a, then slightly 'old school', prevalent sceptiscism and mistrust of electronic in avionics. There was a very human oriented approach to most problems encountered in flight ops.
In particular TCAS was viewed as a gadget foisted upon Airlines and operators that (from Eastern European and beyond ops) seemed to be un-necessary. It was viewed with almost disgust and its challenge to human reasonning questionned!
We imagined the Uberlingen scenario where a pilot would listen to the human controller and not the TCAS command with its tragic consequences, and felt that this was a note-worthy point to raise with authorities in the west however it is/was one of those warnings lost in 'paper-space' and unheeded until proven correct....unfortunately in our own 'back garden' and not somewhere on the other side of the world!
This was 7 years ago and this attitude has probably died out now, and unfortunately with the 'watershed' accident in Uberlingen the point is made clearly regarding TCAS and its implications.
IMHO any one who still questions TCAS should rethink his/her position......on the ground, before joining the rest of us in an ever more crowded sky where we each survive thanks to each others (ATC included) professional dedication.
best regards
MB