Arrogance, Foolish-Pride and the Unstable Approach

By Scott Thatcher SWAPA MCO Chair

Like all of you, I am embarrassed and extremely disappointed in our management.

There are individuals, too numerous to count, that have been and will be impacted by this mishap for many years to come.

On 12/21, our management began an approach into the busy Christmas travel season that was unstable. They were high on glide path with too many flights scheduled. They were fast on airspeed for the training and experience level of our newly-hired employees. They were not fully configured with IT and equipment. And, they failed to properly account for the additive conditions of weather.

Despite numerous inputs of the Pilot Monitoring (Labor Unions): AIRSPEED, ALTITUDE, FLAPS, GO AROUND, GO AROUND, GO AROUND,

Management continued.

ROOT CAUSE: Ignoring warning signs and input from labor for over 10 years, The CEO’s and COO’s arrogance and foolish-pride allowed them to continue an approach that far exceeded the capabilities of the Company.

While the weather on 12/21 and the days following was certainly a contributing factor, proper adherence to risk management and sound judgement could have certainly avoided this mishap.