like so many things in the media. how do we get the other (pilots side) of the story.
there is an old saying. there are two sides to every story and then there is the truth.
think about this for a minute. for the pilot to sue in a case like this , he must be pretty sure of himself as it could potentially backfire on him/her big time. off course the popular press / pprune etc will be all over this story like flies . but how do we know for sure.
I have done a a flight where a new cabin crew member spotted an aircraft (737)1000 ft below (RVSM). at the same time a pssemger called another flight attendant to say he had seen ( a military aircraft off our left wing),
the two flight attendants then immediately came up with the sollution that we were intercepted !!!!!!
Of course we took what they said very seriously by checking with ATC , and investigating a little farther. Off course it was only regular traffic 1000 ft below. NOw whilst it is their duty to speak up ( and on this day I am glad they did , as its for us to verify the event)
Let me put it this way. Imagine i was a little old school and I just laughed them off .( I would have been right about the assumed interception).
Next thing a little excitement gets going in the back with more and more crew and passegers buliding the scenario into something that just is not.Next day some passengers / or cabin crew go to the local papers and its all over the press about flights interception.
Next thing a few weeks later I get a letter from FAA saying that the cabin crew say I was intercepted yet I did nothing about it and they are investigating. Then they investigate with pentagon bla bla to discover NO such event took place.
OK it highlights the need for effective communication CRM etc , however it does also suggest that there is always the other side of the story , and peoples perceptions are often developed from the first story that gets out.