From the article:
“Success has a thousand authors – failure mostly none.”
I find it interesting how he's using this proverb in support of his opinion that 99% of the blame should land squarely on the PIC. Well, that's the impression I get from his article. So it's used to support the preceding paragraph which discusses that when things don't go as planned, blame gets directed to others.
Oh, you mean like when CASA's damaging reports are hidden and a weak-as-piss ATSB report is released (after a thorough 3 year investigation
) with zero weight placed on every slice of swiss cheese except the last one, the last line of defense, the PIC.
Dom does accept his role, but as Brian mentions, he wants others and their organizations to accept theirs. It's such a shameful blight on the industry when it's regulators are ducking and weaving and intentionally diverting full blame on those throw away commodities...the pilots.
Maurie Baston may have many, many years of experience working in aviation, but there is law... and then there is reality. The law is a good framework and by all means should be used and referred to for situations it covers, but just like a Pilot's Operating Handbook, it can't cover everything (and everyone) to the expectations that some have.
I find it amusing that so many agree that full responsibility should be placed on the PIC. "The buck stops here" they say. I could imagine Prof Reason asking himself "what have I been doing all these years?"
and trying to explain yet again "I'm not selling cheese, I provided a rational model to help investigations understand fully what happened and why."
All of the people I have met who decided to get heavily involved in flight safety and accident investigations are the kind of people who have a very strong interest in that field and I have no doubt that they have pride in their work. I can only imagine there are disgruntled ATSB investigators out there who want to do the right thing but are probably shaking their head at the quality (or lack thereof) of that report.
Yes we as pilots have a good job (well, those of us with a job), and yes we have a lot of responsibility, but for God's sake open your eyes people. There's more to it than standing on your pedestal and saying "I am the King of this plane, and if the pooh hits the fan, I will fall on my sword". We as pilots are not God
and should not be held to account as though we were. Just look at my salary and you'll see that I'm not regarded as a God.
Be the most professional pilot you can and accept responsibility for your actions, as you should, but there's nothing wrong with expecting others to do the same.