Nicely done Sarcs -
Quite apart from sympathy for the families, you have to spare a though for the poor old Coroner. How would you like to have to unscramble this mess and deliver what will be an important decision?. Tuff stuff.
Perhaps one of our more erudite commentators with some legal savvy could assist here. Where do the Coroners boundaries end?. What I'm trying to say is, do the 'after' the event operations and pantomimes matter to the Coroner?
Does the lack of CASA/ATSB investigations affect the eventual Coronial decision about the how and the why of the deaths, even if the reports are flawed or incomplete or just not done?
Would the Coroner need to care – or be interested?
There are many what could be described as "side" issues; there's the tantalizing whiff of "conflict of interest" with QBE and CASA legal getting fairly chummy and discussing a possible 'fraudulent claim' by Hempels. Is this the Coroners concern?
Then there is the saga of the "phantom" witness which is passing strange, indeed. Seems a pilot was doing a float plane ticket and witnessed the whole thing, but was reluctant to chat with the CASA investigator. Now it appears (not confirmed) that no one could find him. No one except the CFI and the CEO of Warbirds who advised the CASA. So, the 'phantom' disappeared into the mists, without ever being at least named for the Coroner to have a word with. Does this matter to a Coroner?
I ask because there are some strange and wonderful things associated with this episode but just how they impact on the Coroner and how the system works is a mystery to me. But when it quacks and waddles like duck, I could be excused for thinking it is a duck.