Chinook - Still Hitting Back 3 (Merged)

[tucumseh]

Caz

In their evidence to the HOL Committee both the Reviewing Officers stated that negligence had occurred by the time the Pilots made the waypoint change. If they were IMC then the flight should have been conducted in accordance with IFR. If they were not in cloud then they had flouted the basic rules of Airmanship by flying too fast and too close towards the cloud covered high ground of the Mull which they subsequently impacted.

Is it not a reasonable assumption they intended to turn at or shortly after the WP? If a pilot intends to change direction at a waypoint which will take the aircraft away from cloud, it is not mandatory to transfer to IFR.

It is my understanding that, if at any point the Chinook had a latent control jam preventing the helicopter from turning, but the helicopter were continuing on a straight course (i.e. Aldergrove to WP A) the aircrew may not have had any indication that there was a problem. The problem would only become apparent when they tried to instigate a change of course away from dead ahead.


I’m no pilot, but does the above not completely negate the basis upon which the ROs made their decision? Especially given the plethora of evidence available about control jams, their cause (and sometimes unknown cause) and effect?