Now that the dust has settled and the coroner and barrister assisting prepare their reports ready for issuing the findings in the next month or so, there is time for some additional focus on this case. Unfortunately, I was overseas for these last additional two days of inquest so unable to attend. However, I have been able to 'interview' a number of those present on both days and also read through in detail the inquest transcripts.
I have to question Kharon's headline and some comments thereunder:
Had Hempel been a Bus driver.
Had Hempel been a bus driver, or a ferry captain, passenger liner helmsman, train driver or even a truck driver, little of the hysteria surrounding 'medical condition' would have eventuated. Why does it have to be so very different for aircraft pilots?
I feel quite confident that had Hempel indeed been a Bus Driver, he certainly would not have been driving a bus on that fateful day and mostly likely would have been locked up in custody. The 100+ violations that Hempel had along with his medical condition and his public exposures would have ensured that.
There exists a 'robust' extensive medical system which already has great powers, some would argue too many.
If a satisfactory system had existed then we can be sure Hempel would not have 'slipped through the cracks' and be allowed to have even held a PPL on that day. Whilst I do not hold a PPL myself, I come from an aeronautical family with my father and two sons having served in the Air Force and one son and a brother who have flown extensively both commercially and privately. I spend a great deal of time on commercial planes every month as a passenger travelling around the world and rely on pilots who I hope have passed stringent tests. I am not advocating major crackdowns BUT there has to be a way of stopping another Hempel type. I can not accept that everything was done to monitor Barry's commercial flying exploits.
If we accept
It has become apparent that no matter what legislation was in place, the intention to deliberately commit an offence cannot ever be effectively countered. There is no doubt that whatever method used by CASA in an attempt to control Hempel (and there were several) was doomed to failure – many had tried and all failed to restrain Hempel.
then you are opening a whole can of worms to anyone who wishes to emulate Barry. Do we really believe that CASA did enough to monitor and sanction Hempel?
You have to give credit where it is due. Mr. Harvey is a master craftsman: successfully managing to get the Coroner to focus on the medical men and divert attention to the medical systems failure to communicate, very neatly distracted the courts attention away from the real issues. It was a very clever play. I don't like it, but I can acknowledge the guile, nerve and skill.
Yes very clever play but the coroner and all present were not fooled by these tactics and CASA was made to look like an incompetent organisation. It came out that it was up to a pilot to 'turn him/herself in' in disclosing serious medical issues such as seizures and that reports by qualified paramedics would not be considered. Are they serious? So there is no external independent reviews and a pilot can find a willing doctor, without revealing or lying about their condition and walk out with a medical certificate which is accepted by CASA.
I am not sure what effect the Samantha Hare recommendation to the Coroner had; one can only hope that CASA will persist with a case against further over regulating, now that I could willingly support. In fact many of the CASA arguments in this case had merit.
At least it was encouraging and commendable that Samantha Hare had taken the trouble to table recommendations which can be worked on and incorporated into the coroner's report should he see fit and certainly by reactions and feedback by many he was impressed. Sometimes it needs someone not so close to the industry to make comments.
Enough said, looking forward to the coroner's report and recommendations.
