Originally Posted by twistedenginestarter
Airline flying is stunningly safe and ...... it seems to be getting even safer. Perhaps one reason is the fact that crash investigations are so public and that so many people take an interest in the details, amateurish or not
Succinct, pertinent, incisive.
There is another factor. ICAO signatories are obliged to investigate (some) accidents and report on them according to a standard format. And most nations are ICAO signatories. I think minimal international standards play a role, even if they are minimal.
I took a couple weeks off to rethink my participation in PPRuNe, and was gratified to find this thread, which it seems I partially started. It also seems from moderator's comments as if the thread has been extensively pruned of immoderate comments. Let me say that there are professional safety people contributing to this thread and what is left after moderation represents a series of worthwhile comments.
Let me also state my interests. We (I and my coworkers) investigate inter alia aircraft accidents. Two of the recent accidents we have been asked to investigate have been of extensive interest to PPRuNers. The third one is a microlight aircraft accident. Interestingly enough, I believe the microlight accident contains the most significant lessons to be learnt about criminalisation of accidents. Those PPRuNers who are not aware of this trend are in my opinion well advised to inform themselves. I hope to be able to write about it, once official proceedings are concluded.
I welcome the interventions from PJ2 and alf5071h on "safety culture". I myself am not so particularly concerned with this aspect of safety, but I recognise its value, as do all safety professionals with whom I regularly correspond. In the microlight accident to which I referred, the lesson about developing a functioning safety culture is perhaps the most important lesson to be learnt. The big question is how to implement one.
And (of course) I would like to restate my original point that attempts from creative people to answer questions are helpful, no matter what the background of those creative people. Much of the Turkish MD-83 thread centered on where the impact point actually was. I suspect that those who found this discussion pointless (including, it seems, some moderators) have never been involved in the investigation of an actual accident. Stuff that should be banal is sometimes unusually hard to figure out. That is the way of the world.I suspect it will remain so.
PBL