Originally Posted by
Noiffsorbuts
Not so!
There are many things that can bring an aircraft down that are completely outside the control of the pilots....
Birdstrike, space debris, missile, explosion, smoke/fire, catastrophic airframe failure.....the list is endless. Most clearly not applicable to this case....but such a sweeping statement is patently wrong.
Others might be less polite
I apologise if I have hit a nerve but you know it is the truth.
Birdstrike - not usually avoidable but definitely able to recover from it (e.g. US1549)
Space debris - I will not comment.
Missile - should not be flying over an active/prominent warzone.
Explosion/Smoke/Fire - avoidable if the aircraft is maintained accordingly but also recoverable if the flight crew are able to land and evacuate. Refer to BA777 at LAS as well about the importance of quick decision making.
Catastrophic Airframe Failure - give me an example of this as the cause of any commercial aviation accident where pilot/human error was not an attribute?