Experience and common sense
This is one of the issues- the PiCs lack of experience. At 3500 TT the PiC only just met the requirements for a job at Pel-Air
as a First Officer 20 years ago
.
As I read the ATSB report, I was struck at the string of bad judgement calls that were made that I have doubts a more experienced and better trained captain would have made. I also recognise the total absense of support from his company and that is also a highly relevant issue.
You don't send inexperienced pilots on demanding charters without excellent company support!
What is also concerning is the experience base of the instructor pilots at Pel-Air. During Dom's line training, the changeability of NLK and distance to useable alternates should have been a major discussion point. Was this the case? Have we now reached the point in the industry where inexperienced instructors are now training inexperienced captains? As an example, how many captains flying in Oz can actually use a wx radar p
roperly? As a further example, I am aware of a large turbo-prop that has flown (in the West) through a frontal system, at night with the wx radar
turned off! A cabin crew member was badly injured (broken leg)( the aircraft also wound up at FL210 when cleared to FL190). What is happening in our system that allows such poor command judgements to manifest in our operations?
Many South Pacific islands are bad weather factories, NLK probably more than some others. To have gone anywhere near NLK, day or night, without alternate fuel is a travesty of command responsibility. The crew should have known better. The company should have known better. The
regulator should have known better
