Originally Posted by
Ominous
Not to rehash an old post, but sounds like Spike may have had a point.
Men of "exceedingly high integrity" would not have allowed a program to be rushed to the level of being horrendously unsafe. I'm glad the NTSB report calls a spade a spade. I hate seeing pilots blamed when they are not here to defend themselves, so I too am relieved this did not happen.
Terrible tragedy that should have never happened.
Agreed.
But there is a difference between an autocratic, mission oriented, management team and folks who are aware they are screwing up. IMHO they were so tone deaf they did not know how close they were to an accident. The PIC dismissed the concerns of the FTE and SIC that the aircraft had stalled during at least one, and maybe both, of the prior "roll off" events. Further, the FAA failed in their oversight as well.
The sort of problems driven by a too aggressive schedule and reliance on unique pilot technique to make performance promises happen despite the disappointing results of engineering work is typical of this team's work going back to their days at Douglas. MD11 anyone?
Perfection is not a realistic goal on a tight budget and short time frame. But, Gulfstream set their standard so high, that when it fell short, everyone kept their mouth shut and pressed on (at the risk of their jobs if they complained). Strangely, spouses and best friends probably knew more about the program difficulties than senior management did.
The NTSB is spot on to identify the process and the need for better management to insist on progress gates.