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Old 25th Oct 2008, 21:07
  #2301 (permalink)  
captplaystation
 
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Don't remember anyone asking the question, did this flight have to respect a CTOT ( slot time) on it's 2nd departure, as that for sure adds a degree of stress/urgency to the start-up & taxi phase. Of course, in MAD, taxy time is never short time wise, but people can sometimes become very wound up, concentrating only on reaching that R/W before expiry of the slot to the exclusion of everything else ( cabin secure/ de-ice hold over time etc) I have seen it too often, and that could provide an explanation ( but not an excuse) for the rushed / skipped / screwed-up checks.
With apologies to anyone who feels otherwise, the F/O may be the one who lowers flaps, but the guy with the 4 stripes is in charge and ultimately responsible for the safety of the aircraft. If they tried to take-off with no flaps I can't see how anyone else can carry the can. Sure McDonnell Douglas the Spanair engineers ( and by failing to find out about/implement the cx before each T/O the Chiefs of Spanair) made it easier to turn an omission into a tragedy, but finally the "blame" if as a society we absolutely have to identify the "culprit", lies firmly on two guys who have paid the ultimate price for their mistake.
This thread is going round and round in circles now, surely it is time to realise the simple facts. Pilots are human, they make mistakes, when they do lots of people can die, they are included in this toll so don't want to make mistakes.
Designers Regulators and Managers don't have this immediate exposure to death, but they too make mistakes. The Pilot is always the one left holding the Baby, sometimes it slips from his hands. Everyone says how did he drop it? less people ask why did you hand it to him covered in soap and wrapped in cellophene. This is the nature of the profession of Pilot, you can die, you can kill others. Some will villify you, a few will understand, a few will even try to defend you and find excuses for your mistakes.
Finally, Sh@t happens, and you are the last link in a very long chain so expect to be blamed whether you were good or bad and whether you survive or not.
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