Wow. I was surprised to read that statement about American Eagle. Given their need for pilots, I'm surprised they would be so dismissive of applicants without even hearing their side of the story. Sometimes accidents and incidents are truely accidental. Landing gear-up or fuel starvation is a bit different from suffering an unexpected engine failure that results in aircraft damage.

I was under the impression that the deciding factor between an accident and an incident was the dollar amount of the damage to the aircraft. It would seem to me that carelessness and negligence should be much more important factors in determining an applicants abilities. I think accidents and incidents go off a pilot's record after five years now as well.

Just as a side story, I was involved in a landing mishap while acting as a CFI four years ago. The student pilot lost control of the plane in gusty winds 30-40 above the ground. The plane veered to the right and I took over and landed the plane. Unfortunately, the plane bounced back into the air, drifted in the wind even more, and ended up clipping a taxi sign. The FAA examiner said she saw no negligence in my actions, deemed it an accidental accident, and even offered to write a letter stating so if I ever interviewed at an airline. I learned more than you could ever imagine from that experience.

I reluctantly decided to hang up the wings about a month ago though.