Hi Tony,
I don't know anything Nimrod accident, but perhaps the South AMerican one
was our priviledge, in Bariloche, the night of 23 nov 1977, a BAC-1-11 full
with honey moon couples (were three charter flights) scheduled to depart
from Buenos Aires with an time interval of 20 min. The second one, with a
very hot pilot in the cockpit took off just 5 minutes after the first plane.
In route, asked the ACC clearance to FL 290, the first one was at 310, and
flying to the West always we have a negative wind component. So doing our
"Chuck Yeager" checked the last notification fix before the first plane, and
obtained the first place to app. But he was too high and fast so overshooted
made a circulation and came again, an interruption in the VOR signal, made
him thought that was again high so he made a sharp descend, abandoning the
glide path, and hite the rocks 10 miles before the threshold.
In those days the company awarded hot pilots, and provoked a competency
among them. To make a QRF for example was inacceptable. Several BAC-1-11
were twisted after go through CBs. Two more accidents in the same company
ended with that cultural feature, and today is one of the safest.
Managers set the tone in this. In those days managers also controlled the
amount of fuel pilots loaded, or required a writen info if they had a delay
of more than 10 minutes... (sic).
Certanly there are personalities prone to take those crazy challenges,
particularly when their labor position is at stake. They don't want to
convert themselves in "problematic pilots" for their superiors...
20 years down the route I can asure you that managers (instructors and
checkairmen)in these cases are to blame.
Nowadays our skies are much more safe.
Greetings from Buenos Aires.
Hugo
Hugo Oscar Leimann Patt, MD, PhD
Argentine Aviation Authority and Air Force CRM Developer
Tronador 1515
(1430) Buenos Aires
Argentina
Tel/Fax (541)552-4266
http://www.houseware.com.ar/users/hf_crm