Safety
Surviving accident fallout in today’s environment
“Pilots in handcuffs is what we’re talking about,” said lawyer Kenneth Quinn at the Flight Safety Foundation European Aviation Safety Seminar held recently

“Pilots in handcuffs is what we’re talking about,” said lawyer Kenneth Quinn at the Flight Safety Foundation European Aviation Safety Seminar held recently in Bucharest, Romania. Quinn moderated a two-hour discussion of criminalization and aviation safety, an apropos discussion as the industry becomes ever more vulnerable to attack in an increasingly litigious society. To illustrate how this affects real-world operators, a seven-strong panel of experts considered a hypothetical accident, with Quinn responding to a series of “breaking news” media reports (summarized in italics).

Initial “breaking news”: A French-built Flybus F-100 jetliner operated by U.S. carrier MidAir has come down in the Greek Saronic Islands. There are British, Cypriot, French, Greek and U.S. citizens aboard; the flight crew is British. The NTSB will be an interested party in ensuring the competence of the accident investigation.