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Old 23rd Aug 2008, 01:37
  #628 (permalink)  
PJ2
 
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: BC
Age: 76
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BYALPHAINDIA;

The complexities of discerning organizational influences, especially in terms of examining the traces back to original causes, is difficult, requiring special training, experience and support for the "broader" view. This isn't to say they're not there or to say that by their obscurity they are merely distant antecedents with less validity. Cultural aspects play huge roles within organizations but that role is invisible to all because it is "the way" things are done -the underlying assumptions are similarly invisible. We don't see "normal" - we only see "difference" when it emerges. It's akin to hindsight in terms of understanding what happened.

Most directly involved want "the" cause and are impatient if not in disagreement with complexity because they want some one or some thing to blame, typically not themselves.

Whether what you say is relevant or not depends first on those involved having the sense of such factors so they may see them for what they are and how they influence "normal" decision-making and how abberant decisions are "made normal", (as did Diane Vaughan in her book, "The Challenger Launch Decision" well worth purchasing/reading as is, "Organization at the Limit" about Columbia).

In other words, if one is examining a decision-making process (returning to gates, continuing with MEL items etc etc etc etc...), one must also remain cognizant of the organizational environment in which such decision-making takes place.

Pilots especially, are keenly aware of "the unwritten" and "the unsaid" in corporate cultures and may either be encouraged to exchange information with the organization's leadership or, as is almost universally the case, the leadership of the organization can dismiss them as "expensive resources" in hopes that they continue to fly the company's airplanes on schedule with minimal fuss and disruption.

I believe this touches on some of the matters you raise in your post.

Could the ground maintainance engineers have touched a wire (by accident) that connects to the Reversers when 'Quickly' cutting off the fault??
Almost certainly not. That's not the way airplanes or mechanics work.

We know absolutely nothing that is meaningful or important about the reversers, the engines, the takeoff, the flight path, the crew's demeanour etc etc. Even videos are not "knowledge".

Knowledge of the fleet type is part of a good discussion as is discussions about SOPs and what is actually known about the flight.

But it's a free discussion. (Steve, don't waste your breath and blood pressure on trolls...).

PJ2
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