So, are there examples in your lexicon of employment termination, as opposed to some milder sanction, impeding either safety investigation or implementation of any recommended system modifications?
Not a great example but one that immediately pops into my mind is
Capt. Kinzer's firing at Allegiant we've previously discussed, WillowRun 6-3.
If you'd recall, the Captain's employment was terminated after he allegedly did not follow company SOP on evacuations. I can't speak for Allegiant pilots but it seems to me that if another were put into a similar situation after the firing, he/she might think twice about ordering a needed evacuation, and who knows what the safety repercussions would've been?
Similar to criminal prosecutions, threat of termination over operational mistakes (vs. willful misconduct, gross negligence, etc.) will simply encourage many to cover up safety issues. Is this what we really want?
Incidentally, the Allegiant case is now scheduled for jury trial in October.