Wally Mk2
Sorry, I have to rant a bit...
fallible to all the things that we humans do under duress.
I understand where you are coming from, and I get the sentiment, but part of me says "no".
That is the part where men and women who aspire to be pilots, and become responsible for the lives of others, are held to a higher standard (and should hold themselves to a higher standard as well). Nobody is perfect, but as the old saying goes, "to an even greater degree than the sea, it (aviation) is terribly unforgiving of any carelessness, incapacity or neglect".
If you read "The Right Stuff", you will gain some insights into how the test pilot/astronaut fraternity dealt with mistakes, errors and ultimately the deaths of many of their peers. There were very analytical in their approach to accidents, submerging their emotions to arrive at a correct conclusion as to a probable cause.
Unfortunately, what tends to happen in GA is a lot of hand-wringing, a lot of excuse-making, and a lot of "there but for the grace of God go I".
In this case, no matter what happened to the "good" engine, there was always an opportunity to put this aircraft down safely, maybe not in the best place from a commercial point of view, but safely nevertheless.
We who are professionals should call the outcome what it really is, rather than trying to make excuses for the unfortunate pilot.
Having just got back into GA after many years in airlines, I am absolutely appalled at the level and quality of training that is regarded as normal in the GA world. The training that I received on types that were new to me, was a complete joke and nowhere near the standard that should be required for these types of operations.
Probably the single biggest aspect that is apparently missing from GA, is the ability to make good judgement calls in difficult situations... which is what seems to have happened here.
I'm not saying he didn't keep trying to land safely but faced with virtually zero safe options we would all under the same circumstances just be part of the blur that he was faced with.
I beg to differ... and it is the ability to rise above the "blur" and keep on functioning until the end that separates competent professional pilots from less competent ones. the Alaska Airlines flight 261 (elevator screwjack) pilots never gave up, right up to the point where they hit the water. The United Airlines Flight 232 (Sioux City) pilots never gave up. The US Airways Flight 1549 (Hudson River) pilots never gave up...
When we train in the simulator, if a guy starts to lose it as the pressure mounts, and begins making bad decisions, he goes back in the sim until he gets it right (or he gets chopped).
Until GA starts to properly equip pilots, this stuff will keep on happening.
OK, rant over...