Psychological moment

[red750]

Talk about the psychological moment!

 

I was watching the Channel 7 program Code 1. Minute by minute - Aircraft accident at Essendon 2017.

 

I saw the leadup to the accident and shocking report on the health status on Max Quartermain as told by his wife. I followed the reconstruction of the startup, taxi and take-off to the point where the wheels left the ground.

 

Then...

 

A power surge which turned off the NBN, Foxtel, internet modems etc. Power restored after the plane had crashed.

 

The program is reported here: 

 

 https://www.memorabletv.com/episodes/code-1-minute-by-minute-the-essendon-plane-crash-channel-7-thursday-2-march-2023/

 

The program may be available on 7+ shortly.

[BrendAn]

,i was delivering pile cages for the freeway widening project. i remember the huge column of black smoke in my mirror. terrible tragedy.  the cages and mesh we had dropped under the bulla rd bridge had plane wreckage around it. plane went over the cpb workers there by a few meters. 

the pilot should not have been flying. even his wife pleaded with him not to go.  he had not slept the night before and his wife said he had trouble remembering things after his operation.

[red750]

His wife was amazed he was passed fit to fly after his heart operation. His charter business was going badly, so he had bought a bus but crashed it on his first day on the run. He kept flying because it was the only thing he knew. He missed the fact the the rudder was full left when he did the preflight, missed that the rudder trim was set full left when he took off. The cockpit voice recorder was not functioning or not switched on. Last recording was for a flight a week previously.

[BrendAn]

and i am pretty sure he had been involved in something at mt hotham airport prior to that. 

[BrendAn]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-21/dfo-essendon-crash-court-hearing/100480126

Edited March 2, 2023 by BrendAn

[Student Pilot]

On 2/3/2023 at 10:29 PM, red750 said:

His wife was amazed he was passed fit to fly after his heart operation. His charter business was going badly, so he had bought a bus but crashed it on his first day on the run. He kept flying because it was the only thing he knew. He missed the fact the the rudder was full left when he did the preflight, missed that the rudder trim was set full left when he took off. The cockpit voice recorder was not functioning or not switched on. Last recording was for a flight a week previously.

ANY heart problems/operations or even a stent requires a six month pause from flying. You cannot get a medical after any of those. The new medical requires all sorts of test including stress ultrasound and heart specialist report. Surely some of you have had a reeming with the medical Canberra mob? Atrocious service. From the people I talk to the CASA medical mob are the other extreme, they will not issue medicals without all sorts of specialists reports. All costing a lot, it's not uncommon for a late fifties or over sixties pilot having to pay 2k plus to get a medical. It then goes to CASA medical department to be assessed, taking up to two months and the day before the medical Dame extension date runs out. Not unusual then for CASA to demand more checks, example being a kidney stone 30 years ago. They then require scans and a specialist report.
Any other country you can go to a nominated doctor and walk out with a medical. You can do with with a bus drivers licence in Australia and go out and drive a bus with 50 people on board. A pilot who flies a single seat aircraft (fire bombing/Ag) has to have the same medical as an airline pilot carrying 300+ passengers.

Anything to do with CASA is a TOTAL balls up, no wonder GA is being exterminated. 

[facthunter]

Their aim is to get as many out of the air as possible, though open heart surgery patients got back in about 1988. The medical boss doesn't get paid much so they aren't the best. ONE wrote you as Psychologically Unsuitable IF you disputed anything.. I asked for some aspects of my medical records to be made available to me After a couple of quite revealing comments coming to light they then said they'd lost them. What BS.  They are a law unto themselves.  Nev

[turboplanner]

If CASA and the medics are so bad then why critics them for allowing  Max Quartermain to fly. You can‘t have it both ways.

 

[aro]

3 hours ago, turboplanner said:

You can‘t have it both ways.

Of course you can, if their decisions are inconsistent. Which seems to be a large part of the criticism.

[facthunter]

I can't work out your logic on this Turbs. My experiences are first hand and there's a mountain of evidence of incompetence and inconsistency. Nev

[Jabiru7252]

I watched that, made me very angry. Too many pilots flying about that should not be. And to be in that condition as a charter pilot is criminal.

[onetrack]

The bottom line is, there's a large variation in the skills and decision-making of individual doctors and specialists - as anyone who has had medical experiences knows.

The doctor or specialist who passed Max Quartermain as medically fit to fly must be sweating, and I trust his insurance company stands by him, as the payout for 4 rich Americans is going to be horrendous.

A vast number of medical opinions are based on good judgement, and not a lot of doctors refer to wives (or husbands) for information as regards patients health and general mental fitness.

Of all the people who are best positioned to advise on someones health, wives and husbands are in the best position.

[Student Pilot]

4 hours ago, turboplanner said:

If CASA and the medics are so bad then why critics them for allowing  Max Quartermain to fly. You can‘t have it both ways.

 

That's the crux of it, normally stringent and unrealistic yet let one go through like the Kingair pilot if that's what happened. Did he have a current medical? Date issued?

Turbo you have some GA time, what's your experience with medicals or have you just been getting a private one?

[pmccarthy]

At each renewal CASA require me to do a heap of tests that my cardiologist says are not necessary. And he would not ask for them, but they insist, and cost a lot. Just for a class 2, and I fly RAA now, so only needed to enter controlled airspace.

[Carbon Canary]

My DAME advised me that once you are on medical ‘surveillance’ by CASA Avmed, you will never get off it, regardless of how healthy you become.

For me that means every 12 months (not 2 years) I have to get specialist testing etc that my specialist says is completely unnecessary…and that’s for a Class 2.

It costs close to $1,000 each year for this privilege.

I’ve also enquired about dropping back to a Basic Class 2, but from what I understand, the Avmed surveillance regime still applies.

[facthunter]

 Some of the "required" tests carry risks.   Medications are what gives a bit more surety and a lifestyle change and monitoring with blood tests etc.  Be aware of the signs your body gives you. That's a large contribution to survival and never go without water.   Nev.

[RFguy]

The other thing is, in the ACT, there is a new rule that requires medical practitioners to (compulsory) advise the ACT motor vehicle regulator (vehicle license) , or CASA (air) if their patient has anything out of tolerance.   IE the patient has no say in it.

This has caused an exodus of ACT heavy vehicle licensed drivers apparently, and medical doctors  dont like it either. 

[facthunter]

Collateral damage is it deters people from seeking medical attention when there's a risk you may need it and it may cost you your life.  Nev

[spenaroo]

4 minutes ago, facthunter said:

Collateral damage is it deters people from seeking medical attention when there's a risk you may need it and it may cost you your life.  Nev

Isnt that why there is a whole community of medical professional's, set-up for pilots with mental illness in the USA to be treated, anonymously so it doesn't get reported.

[facthunter]

 Could WELL be. It carries a stigma. Probably more people than we think have some issues with mental illness.  Nev

[pmccarthy]

My friend would not see a doctor about his condition because of CASA avmed. He died.

[old man emu]

I've said it before. After the Robo Debt enquiry finishes, the whole Public Service should be examined to root out the culture of disservice to the Public.

[Student Pilot]

1 hour ago, old man emu said:

I've said it before. After the Robo Debt enquiry finishes, the whole Public Service should be examined to root out the culture of disservice to the Public.

Yes but that'll never happen to CASA, brick wall.

I'm glad I'm at the end of my career, in my 45 years of flying I have never had anybody realistic to deal with. As a pilot and an operator. That includes when they had regional bases. 

Edited March 6, 2023 by Student Pilot

[Jabiru7252]

One of the problems with our Government and its various departments is that the folks running them and employed by them are not necessarily qualified. They are there because they know somebody, or because of their gender or because they are pretty good with other talents.

[johnm]

or by attrition and time in service ............... some call it seniority ? ................... they are next in line for the next level