Chester,
Read the post carefully.
Pilot Error is when you the pilot kill a perfectly good aircraft.....one that is completely serviceable.
Cockpit Error means you contributed to the outcome by making a mistake (and I construe that to mean independently of outside involvement).
Operational Error....means you had outside help in making the error.
Human Errors are normal....they happen every day on every flight. They don't necessarily have a bad outcome. Ever miss a radio call and have to be spoke to a second time before you hear the call? Ever dial up a wrong frequency and catch yourself? Ever punch the wrong start button and think what a buffoon you are?
The Human Errors I see in this Cougar thing are some that did not get caught and wound up with a bad outcome.
The investigation should dig into every one of them along with coming up with the technical description of what broke on the aircraft and merely detailing the direct immediate actions of the crew.
Every factor that can be identified as a contributing factor should be examined to determine how it occurred and how it can be prevented from occurring again. The key is fixing what is broke before it can strke down another crew and load of passengers.
Look at the Night Offshore Approach thread.....and DB's effort to improve night flying techniques and procedures industry wide. That is the exact right response to the Bond CFIT accident. He has us all re-thinking our mindset re night flying offshore. That is a good thing!
Let's do the same with the Cougar tragedy so we can keep something like this happening again.
We need to rethink our attitudes towards gearbox failures, certification tests and standards, communication of defect reports and ensuring proper action is taken in a most timely manner. We need to review industry wide the way we train pilots, formulate emergency procedures, structure response plans, and monitor engineering standards for effective levels of safety review.
What if we find out Cougar had those very steel studs on the shelf in anticipation of an upcoming scheduled inspection and all this could have been prevented by merely installing them upon receipt? That is the kind of review we are talking about.....looking at every facet of this accident to see how the Human decision making process allowed this to happen.
This is not finger pointing....or laying blame....just being honest with ourselves on how we really do business and comparing it to how we should be doing business.
I did not know any of these folks but I have known way too many of them in the past and that is what makes me speak out as I do when these things happen.