I've been lurking...
Those who espouse that, because Collins was PIC, he should bear ultimate responsibility for the tragedy, have surely failed to appreciate the most crucial tenant of the New View of Human Error which Dekker's books/papers so thoroughly elucidate.
Was the PIC of JL 123, who fought valiantly with his a/c for 32 mins, ultimately responsible for the loss of 520 lives because he failed to appreciate a pressure bulkhead was repaired incorrectly?
Was the PIC of AA 191 reponsible for the loss of 271 lives because AA mechanics had invented their own procedure for replacing self-aligning bearings on the pylon in compliance with a Douglas service bulletin?
Surely, the safe conclusion of a commercial flight is, quite literally, the end result of hundreds of people doing the jobs expected of them with due diligence?
How is this situation different?
I fly an EFIS FMC equipped aircraft and have no knowledge of how the DC-10 nav system works....
Every time I go flying I upload a company route designator into my FMC. It may change from day to day but as long as the waypoints agree with my flight plan, I'm happy. Because we fly to less than 30 destinations, my familiarity with the various routes will probably allow me to pick up any outrageous changes that might likely kill me.
But name me a single commercial pilot of this/my generation who will then cross check an unfamiliar route against his enroute chart(s) to see if all the previous safety nets have failed, and he has now uploaded a route which will take him straight into a mountain...
I've yet to come across such a pilot...
Surely as PIC I have a right to expect to expect the route is not going to kill me just like I have a right to expect a pressure bulkhead's integrity?
It is a question that puzzles me regards this incident, but how/who changed the route? Who changed the coordinates and why was the route changed?
Yeah, but what about the VMC let down....
I have to say that my reading of the CVR transcripts don't suggest a cavalier crew to me...
Let me ask another rhetorical question...
Is there a commercial pilot out there, who hasn't at some time, been temporarily unsure of his position?
Happened to me a few weeks ago, 4000 ft below MSA, nav-aids disagreeing with each other, false FMA indications, suspect radar control coverage, and, therefore, only FMC filtered IRS information to rely on....temporarily. I was able to resolve the situation within seconds.
Seems to me the crew of ZK-NZP (PIC and others) resolved their course of action within seconds. It just wasn't quite enough.