For those of you that blame the crew:
Some major f--k-ups, where properly trained and highly experienced pilots were involved:
1977 - KL in Tenerife.
1995 - AA in Cali
2000 - SQ in Taipei.
2009 - FDX in Narita.
And some close call f--k-ups:
1994 - RO A310 stalled over Paris.
1997 - EK A310 sat on its tail at holding position in CDG.
2000 - HF A310 glided into Wien.
2001 - EK A310 almost hit tower in AUH on G/A.
2004 - EK A340 just about took off in JNB.
2009 - EK A340 just about took off in MEL.
How would you feel if you or someone you know was involved in above cases?
Were all crews inadequately trained or below par? Investigations of civil aviation incidents and accidents should be used solely to provide data and experience in improving airline safety.
In the criminal cases in Larnaca (Cyprus) and Athens (Greece) that are presently being heard, lawyers and authorities are trying to set a precedent that will take civil aviation back to the Middle Ages. Our colleagues are standing trial for manslaughter!
Not only this - the Greek and Cypriot authorities are taking a direct part in the blame game by allowing mental and physical abuse of the defendants during the hearings. Mob rule in EU countries in the 21st century!
Why put the Helios employees on trial - just put them on the cross!!!
P.S:
from Wiki:
Private investigation
One year after the accident, the Discovery Channel aired a documentary detailing a private investigation, made in cooperation with Advanced Aviation Technology Ltd., arguing that a design failure of the Boeing 737 may have contributed to the accident.
All wiring for the pressurization system was in one wiring loop to the outflow valve in the aft of the Boeing 737. During a Boeing 737-436 G-DOCE flight in May 2003, a failure in this loop opened the outflow valve, which caused the cabin to depressurize. The same wiring failure probably caused erroneous indications to the crew that the standby pressurization system had failed and that the outflow valve was fully closed and unresponsive to pilot input. After seeing indication of the standby pressurization failure, the crew switched the pressurization control to manual mode and made an emergency descent.
Discovery Channel reported its findings on the G-DOCE incident to the Hellenic Republic's Air Accident Investigation & Aviation Safety Board.
The Board reported no evidence of wiring failure in Flight 522, and did not mention the G-DOCE incident. Because all available flight data showed the pressurization control in manual mode and the outflow valve open at a constant angle, and because there was no evidence the flight crew ever changed the pressurization mode, the Board concluded that the pressurization system had been set to manual for the entire flight, which caused the pressurization failure.