Very well put, Alum Shuffler. I had some similar thoughts on my mind but I lack your eloquence.
Regarding improvents to systems, Honeywell is also testing a pure software upgrade to EGPWS, using existing obstacle databases, which would give a warning like "obstacle! obstace!". It wouldn't have helped the RYR crew here, but some of the roughly 25% of ground incidents which involve fixed objects could possible be avoided. I do believe there are realistic possibilities to add additional safety layers, without flogging pilots.
Last edited by deptrai; 13th Oct 2014 at 09:55.