Puh-lease!

The manufacturer and the FAA have indicated, ex-post-facto that the product was in fact defective. We’ll never know – the airplane was a charred, compressed, mess.

Nevertheless, let’s all get our facts straight before excoriating the survivors.

It’s convenient to cry foul, but lacks any critical cognition of the plausible. I realize there is a certain chicken and egg problem in the scenario; neither begets the other. Insisting elsewise is unproductive, arrogant and embarrassing.

Everyone here shoud immediately contact their estate planning attorneys and execute an advanced directive to their estate forbidding the estate from suing on their behalf in the event they off themselves flying. Moreover, each and ever passenger should sign a waiver as well. These waivers are being upheld around the country and should be part of each and every griper’s checklist.

This way, if you kill yourself, then your estate can’t sue. Your wife and kids can sue for their loss of consortium claims, emotional distress, boo hoo, etc., if they refuse to sign their covenants not to sue. Your passengers cannot sue if they signed their waivers. Oh yeah, they will try, but it will sure make it harder.

One last thing, your estate’s covenant’s not to sue should be filed with AOPA with an agreement that if AOPA has to pay an attorney to fight your family, it comes out of your estate. That way, the real loser will pay.

I think the British are onto something. I would imagine that 98% of pending cases would be dropped. 45 mil? Let’s see….that’s 40% attorney’s cut (after expenses of course). The family stands to make at least 100K from this!

I do believe that anyone deserves their day in court, but as someone in the medical profession, this is the primary reason that a $10 piece of equipment sells for $250. Much for the same reason that your average new spam can sells for over $300K for about $150K worth of airplane (I’m being generous). I have flown experimentals for some time, but don’t think this culture hasn’t trickled over to our end as well. I have seen more than one beautiful flying aircraft parted out and the airframe destroyed for fear of selling. As any attorney can probably tell you, a hold harmless agreement in most cases isn’t worth the paper it is written on. You may still be sued. You may win. But it will still cost you a fortune.

The safety programs offered to the pilot population are there to try and lower the accident rate. Unfortunately the same people always go to these meetings and the problem pilots wind up on the news. I attend these meeting and rarely see new faces.

The death rate in 91 operations is a consistent 6-800 people killed every year and it has not changed, if one bases the number on flying hours. This is equal to (3) 737 crashing every year. Imagine the uproar in the new media if (3) airliners went down every year! FAA management would be burned at the stake!

Until the FAA stops being a reactive agency with 91 operations, the accident rate will continue to climb.

If pilots are forced to attend at least one or two safety seminars a year and be required to fly a minimum number of hours a year, this situation will not change.

I know it sounds harsh and unfair and people will scream about the cost, but one fatal accident cost millions and the loss of life from stupidity is not acceptable.

Lastly, the fact that a flight instructor was aboard this aircraft, makes this accident even more of a slap at the FAA. A flight instructor obviously should not let something like this happen, yet it did happen ? why is the big word here , how could this happen??. All FAA could do is look at the certification process for instructors and try to find where the problem is. There are no easy solutions here!

Qualified FAA management is the answer. When key FAA people are appointed for their qualifications and know how there will be a reductions in the accident rate.

I vote for CAPTAIN “SULLY” for head of FAA !!!!!!!!!!!!!

thank you

Richard Wyeroski

Sorry, but you have me mistaken for someone who doesn’t know what he’s talking about. I need no lectures from you about who writes the law.

Unfortunately, it’s the gang of lawyers dominating Congress who write them. They are such an admirable bunch they are unable to gin up the moral initiative to put the country’s interst above their own long enough to pass significant tort reform.

So, if you know of any non-lawyers who can be elected, or any legal geniuses who could bring themselves to pass meaningful tort reform, please clue us in.

Otherwise, attorney’s have only themselves to blame. After all, they are the main contributors to the party which is slowly removing the concept of personal responsibility from public life. And, in turn, rapidly destroying the moral fabric of our country. Thanks a lot.