Im not suggesting that the recent EMS accident was pilot error, but the circumstances raise a relevant question.
How rare an event is it for an aerial work or public transport flight, flying VFR, to make a precautionary landing
off airport due to poor weather?
As a crew member on photographic flights we have sat out rainstorms to get a better shot but I can't recall a job where we have made a precautionary landing in a field due to deteriorating weather. We have made precautionary landings for chip lights, strange bangs and smells
but not deteriorating weather.
On two occasions I've felt uncomfortable with the decision to fly in the soup, but both times were with pilots with current IFR experience. I reasoned that an IFR pilot flying a VFR flight, is less likely to accidentally fly out of their comfort zone into the muck than a VFR pilot because they have a better knowledge base of poor weather conditions.
Have I been kidding myself?
If precautionary landings are a
too rare event, perhaps this aspect of airmanship should be better addressed in Human Factors Training as it is likely to be crew psychological factors rather than a lack of flying skill or experience?
Mickjoebill