Originally Posted by
SASless
Exactly as I see it as well.
I was not singling you out in my post....that was just a statement of how I see things.
There is a passage in Gann's book where he lists a tally of Crews killed in all kinds of crashes during the early days of the US Airline Industry.....making the point that our real nemesis is "Fate" (as he calls it...) and that sometimes skill, knowledge, experience, education, training, just isn't enough.
I suppose over time we have learned lessons and have a better understanding of how these sad events occur....and are better at using technology to assist in the examination of those causes but in the end...there is a factor over which none of us have any control.
SAR flying for civilian pilots has got to be among the most challenging flying there is as they tend to find themselves being called out in weather that most of us are able to avoid sticking our noses into and go places that do not have any infrastructure to assist in their mission.
Oil and Gas offshore flying has become pretty routine anymore after its Cowboy Days early on. EMS flying has also gone through a couple of tough periods but seems to be doing better. Forestry work has improved and Fire Fighting is getting much safer.
Perhaps this tragedy will see SAR units taking a very critical look at how they are doing business and look for improvements.
Your last paragraph could be a fitting response to this entire thread.
I'm not totally convinced by the 'fate' argument as I feel that this is another aviation tragedy that could have been avoided. Fate implies the unavoidable.
Yes, the SAR regime is a highly demanding and niche area of aviation. Now is the time for improvement of safety margins via thorough external scrutiny.