Hot Water

In response to your October editorial, Hot Water, what I took from these two tragic accidents was that the culture of fear surrounding declaring an emergency is killing people. The FAA needs to change its policy calling for an emergency declaration investigation to address this fear.

Editorial Staff

Wednesday, October 29, 2014 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The article advocates for changes to FAA policy regarding emergency declarations, arguing that the "culture of fear" of prosecution prevents pilots from seeking help, potentially leading to tragic accidents, and suggests a no-prosecution approach.
A discussion on Angle of Attack (AoA) indicator calibration notes that while manufacturer settings offer a safer margin for new users, experienced pilots can recalibrate for optimized performance (e.g., using flaps-down settings for approach), emphasizing that AoA systems are advisory and customizable.

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In response to your October editorial, Hot Water, what I took from these two tragic accidents was that the culture of fear surrounding declaring an emergency is killing people.

The FAA needs to change its policy calling for an emergency declaration investigation to address this fear. At best it should adopt a no-prosecution approach, or at least limit post-declaration investigation to factors only directly related to the incident and not a sweeping witch hunt. (A friend crashed after landing long and was subsequently cited for a faulty rear seatbelt. The seatbelt had nothing to do with the accident and the rear was unoccupied.)