dervish
What kind of blithering idiot regards an avoidable accident as just one of those things?
Perhaps someone who, a few days after taking over command of his unit, watched one of his junior pilots die a horrible, violent death in front of him; who then carried his coffin and gave a eulogy at his funeral; who dealt personally with the grief of the family, his other pilots and engineers as well as his own; who then had to nurture his squadron back to its traditional health and proficiency under the additional pressures of intense scrutiny, constant inspection, reorganisation and ill informed criticism.
So, while hoping that he and his Team could at last put the traumatic events of two years ago behind them and finally focus on a more positive future and a memorable event, namely their historic anniversary, he makes a harmless, throw away remark in an interview, making light of their pain with traditional British understatement and humility.
And you, viewing his remark out of context and from the comfort and safety of your anonymity, and knowing nothing about the circumstances and background except what you read in the papers and on your computer, then have the effrontery to criticise him so harshly. What pain did you suffer that gives you the right to judge him?
I suggest that you are the blithering idiot. And that's being polite to you.