Date: 17 Mar 2009 From: AndyPretty sobering. Sad to see careers ruined but the Marines are at least admitting that people should have done a better job. I'll bet everybody who ever worked in squadron maintenance and operations would understand the pressure to keep planes flying. No forgiveness when they find out you pushed the limits to meet the op-ready percentage they expect. Thanks for the information.
Date: 18 Mar 2009 From: VinceI have been haunted by the story of this accident. Some of my angst was about the pressures on maintenance departments that you raised. But most of my "issues" relate to the pilot's dilemma. My father said that after he read the email, his immediate reaction was - the pilot was in a no-win situation.
In perfect hindsight, the pilot should have gone to North Island, and failing that, should have made the much shorter right turn at home field. But had he done either of those and averted the crisis, he would then have become the target of much derision.
If he had "wimped out" (i.e. been too cautious/alarmist) and gone to North Island, he would have been "counseled" about making the squadron send a maintenance crew on the road to fix the aircraft - OR - about making the squadron exercise a dusty, fragile, and time-consuming inter-service, inter-squadron maintenance request.
If he had turned into his dead engine, a NATOPS Nazi would have gigged him for
violating the recommendation: avoid turning into a dead engine. [I am assuming
there is "guidance" to that effect.]
Date: 19 Mar 2009 From: VinceMy father tells an interesting story about his C-130 check flight. In the landing pattern he was on a left-hand base, when the check pilot pulled his 2 port engines back to idle and announced they had both failed. The correct response was: roll wings level, level off, report the emergency to the tower and request a right-hand 270 degree turn to an extended final. Any response short of that would constitute failure.