Could be part of the problem
There have been a few people who think I am angry about what Delta did to me and the reason I am speaking out about safety. They would be wrong. I was deeply concerned about Safety before Delta did anything. Delta’s actions simply proved they have a negative safety culture because they retaliated against someone who brought safety concerns forward. What Delta did was prove my theory and support my doctoral research.
The research also identified a negative safety culture exists worldwide and it is impacting training and thus operational performance. While I turned this research into a book in hope people would read it and understand, Normalization of Deviance, a Threat to Aviation Safety, the following figure is something I created for an article and reprinted in my dissertation.
Are we getting better?
I don’t think so. Do you?
Disclaimer: Half the preceding accident investigations are not complete. I am not on the investigation team. These are examples of what I hypothesize the results will more than likely include: Understanding, confusion, and/or flight skill. This is a theory. This is actually a warning. We have not been heeding the signs very well. If you have not seen the stats, these two posts might be eye-opening. Is it safe because you don’t die? and… How safe is flying?
LITIGATION
I understand that none of you were in trial, and have not taken the time to read the depositions or trial testimony. However, what transpired in this process has been written in “fiction” and is more truth than not. My entire series followed the event and the process, including actual accidents. To fully understand the legal points as to the safety claims, what Delta did and why they lost in both trial and appeal, and to fully understand the depth of how far airline management will go to kill the messenger in lieu of solving the problem and improving training, then I ask you to read these two novels.
Flight For Discovery, Every question, asked and answered in this novel, are from the depositions and verbatim. I was there.
Flight For Justice, Every question asked and answer in this novel, from the trial is verbatim, to include the judge’s questions. I was there.
The reason we have accidents is because employees fear speaking out and nothing is resolved. They give their career up for nothing, when they make an effort. Actions speak louder than words. The truth in the novels is the testimony. You will be shocked. And until you read them, you will never know the battle we have with improving safety. If you want to know what is happening in training, or even how to study, Flight For Safety is your novel. I am giving away a car to incentivize you to read my books, because if people know the truth that’s who will make the change. Not laws.
Delta is retaliating against me once again for speaking out about training concerns and operational safety. First threatening my buddy passes, and now threatening litigation. When is enough, enough? Answer: When we stop trying to kill people by airplane.
Conversations with my husband 2015-2025
2015: I’m warned that Delta is going to get me if I report my concerns. I will lose everything, But, I can’t live with myself if they kill a planeload of people and I don’t make an effort if I can see the problem. My husband agrees, and says if we lose everything we’ll still have each other. We have to try. And we did.
2025: I don’t want to do this anymore. I’m retired. Airline management doesn’t care if they have substandard training. The FAA is broken, and they work for the airlines not passenger safety. Nobody cares. I don’t have a dog in the fight, so why am I trying to make an effort of change? I know they are going to kill people. Every person on that Endeavor flight was lucky, they should all be dead. My husband says, “I think you will be able to step back, when someone is held accountable, the FAA actually does their job, and they fix training and improve safety.”
What would you say if you could join these conversations?
2 Comments
Karlene,
I spent 15 years in the AirForce. I was an instructor in the B-47, KC135 and the B-58. After our KC-135 squadron’s first Viet Nam tour many of the copilots and some the Aircraft Commanders left to go to the airlines. That included my copilot who was real athlete and a terrible pilot. I used joke that if rolled inverted on final approach he would not say a word if I looked confident doing so.
He went to American Airlines where he was a flight engineer for a number of years before he became a second officer. We flew 5-7 days a week in Nam and, despite the mentoring, I never saw improvement. I can’t imagine what he was like by the time he got a yoke in his hand.
Over the years I have seen countless videos of airliners making crosswind landings and in every case they were crabbing and trying to kick it straight at touchdown-rarely successfully. Is that an approved procedure?
Robert, sorry for the late reply. Yes, that process ironically is how “Airbus” says their planes must be landed. This is the common process, therefore most airlines give a steady state 15 knot crosswind for landing because that is doable. But we know that mother nature doesn’t work that way.