And it is not forthcoming. fwiw.
JD-EE
Many folks here and elsewhere, know (approximately) what happened. Absent the exact details, an upset and LOC. Stall, leading to ocean impact. The precise daisy chain is and will be, fascinating. I am not trying to be facetious, the answer has been posted. Keep looking, it has everything to do with Physics, Electrons, and Mother Nature. A remotely possible confluence of poor fortune, poor performance (relative), and expectations. On the day 447 died, 1,000 people died in automobile accidents, and two thousand of smoking related illness, in America alone. It always produces snooty reactions when framed this way, for those who die in the air (or water), are somehow special.
Why? because for some reason how people die is seductive to humankind. I am full of grief for each soul who passes, every one. What galls me, is not the actual fact, but the residue of less than noble motives responsible for more than one would expect in the way of "death by airborn conveyance".
For each mechanic who wants to eat lunch and doesn't secure his forklift bearing a partially installed engine, there is a deliberate attempt in the boardroom to mitigate what are considered 'allowable' loss of life in the name of shareholder and pension, not to mention golden parachute.
For nuts, bolts, and sliderule types, you should make more money. Be more careful. See to it the line raises prices to reflect what an amazing and exciting endeavour is flight.
Success breeds competition. Grand success can breed ruinous competition, then the quality and safety of your travel starts to look like your meal, a hastily thrown together mystery meat casserole. We all deserve better.
TD: Do you expect an industry altering surprise? I don't. The Airbus has millions of hours, and was flown by highly qualified men.
Some hitherto unknown quirk of alchemy? Perhaps "Unknown aspects of fuel performance in Icing"? An unbelievably remote taptap freeze up?
I know that you are an engineer, and I value and admire your approach.
I hope to learn some of it here. Both of us are inquisitive, one of us perhaps a bit more suspicious of Humans than the other. I've been in marketing, Politics, Research, and many other pursuits. No one has ever gone broke underestimating the gullibility of the masses. Me included.
Trust is fickle, and once lost, a very arduous trek 'back'.
(modified my post, is it better?)
Last edited by bearfoil; 24th Jul 2011 at 01:01.