mickjoebill,
The HANS system only came into play when the car hit the barrier.
The system will do nothing about a dirty great spring hitting you in the head, thats where the helmet does its work.
In our business Pilot Joe 'A to B' will not wear a helmet, flying suit or indeed much if any protective clothing because of the image it portrays.
Either;
a. Customers don't want to be flown around by a pseudo Maverick wannabe out of Top Gun, with badged flying suit and black visored helmet.
Pax wish to have the short sleeved white shirt and tie with gold bars and headset look, complete with polyester trousers.
or
b. Walking from/to the aircraft at the flying school, race course, hotel or golfing venue, he/she might feel a little overdressed for the surroundings.
Of course we all know it makes sense to have a Nomex flying suit, helmet and gloves, but circumstances make us decide what to wear.
Why is it that when you go go-karting for example, they make you wear helmets and overalls, but it doesn't happen at flying schools!
Comparing Massas incident and the HANS to anything flying, is a bit of a red herring IMHO. To relate it to a flying incident, a bird (or spring from another aircraft) would come through the windscreen, hit us on the head rendering us unconscious and consequently not in control of the aircraft.
Now this is where I don't get where you think the HANS would be any use to us....
