Hi all,
I know many of you are aware of the incident at EWR over the weekend. In incidents like this where nobody got hurt or no one lost their life, are the pilots involved done flying if the investigation reveals that they were at fault? Or do they face disciplinary actions and retraining assignment?
Kevin
Kevin,
Great question. In the past pilots would in fact be fired or disciplined for accidents and incidents that were shown to be their fault. Fortunately aviation has advanced as an industry and we recognize the Inevitability of Human Error, in other words people make mistakes. Further we’ve learned that if you punish people for their mistakes they’ll be far less forthcoming. It’s more advantageous to have pilots come forward, be honest so the rest of the group and industry can learn from the mistake or error. Unless it’s proven that there was substance abuse involved or the act was malicious with intent or negligent, in most cases there will be no discipline, only training.
Adam
Kevin,
We (like all airlines) have had a few instances like this over the years. Typically the pilots go through significant additional training and then have to take an additional check ride with the FAA. Usually there is no disciplinary actions.
Chris