Originally Posted by
simmple
The only people who should be criticising are the ones who have been in that situation...
No. I have never been in the situation of the president either yet I can criticise him as much as I want.
The accident pilot was an instructor. He should know how to execute a forced landing. He should know and apply the concept of FORDEC/DODAR or whatever they call it this year.
And he should be familiar with one of the most basic rules of visual flight, now contained in SERA Europe-wide, but a pillar of every national aviation law before that:
SERA.3101 Negligent or reckless operation of aircraft
An aircraft shall not be operated in a negligent or reckless manner so as to endanger life or property of others.
SERA.3105 Minimum heights
Except when necessary for take-off or landing, or except by permission from the competent authority, aircraft shall not be
flown over the congested areas of cities, towns or settlements or over an open-air assembly of persons, unless at such a
height as will permit, in the event of an emergency arising, a landing to be made without undue hazard to persons or property on the surface.
Ditching is not an option in a high-wing Cessna? So don't get yourself in a position where ditching is the only way to avoid harming people on the ground.
NB: This website here looks at the statistics of known ditching events. As usual, statistics derived from a (luckily) small number of samples are not too reliable, but it holds some surprises, especially ones concerning high-wing aircraft:
http://www.equipped.org/ditchingmyths.htm