Incident at Heathrow

[BARKINGMAD]

RAISE THE BORESIGHTS!

Seeing as "CHIRP" has been highlighting the overstretch suffered by ALL those on the flightline over the last few years, can we picture the poor hassled, distracted and under-resourced engineer who makes the original error in not securing the aircraft?

The backstop is provided by a line pilot, possibly operating under the much publicised inadequate report times, who's fought his way through the security nightmare provided at most airports and who may be conscious of the approaching ATC slot and pressured by the "on-time" fanaticism practised by management who seem to have lost the picture BIG TIME since few of them have ever practised "on the line"!

If this working environment, as portrayed in "CHIRP" but ignored by CAA SRG in their mealy-mouthed responses to such alerts, is not drastically changed in favour of MANAGING the task safely, as opposed to cutting costs at all costs, then we will continue to see such holes in the cheese lining up again and again, until the "Tombstone Imperative" kicks in, together with the litigation in retrospect.

Please let's back off the troops at line level and direct our fire at those further up the food chain who are ultimately responsible for imposing the working practices and pressures which allow errors like this to slip through!

A well publicised attempted manslaughter trial of the smooth suits responsible would send a timely and strong message to those whose profession is paring the twig down so far that it breaks, but alas by that time they have moved on to cause chaos elsewhere!