So, this thread needs to be titled "NTSB Being irresponsible"?

 

Of course the press is going to report it. That is what they do.

The NTSB, on the other hand, is acting in a fashion that is contrary to past practice. Used to be they would report only that the investigation is ongoing, but would not release details until they issued the final report. This dribbling of piecemeal details is disturbing. The delivery of individual findings in an ongoing investigation, without regard to context, to an ignorant and sensationalist press with a history of ignorance, exaggeration and distortion is, in my opinion, contrary and harmful to the NTSB's mandated purpose.

 

The NTSB member, who was part of the blame it on the pilot leak, was employed shortly after with an airplane manufacturer, Airbus. This is a conflict of interest.

AIRLINE BIZ Blog | The Dallas Morning News

 

Ah, unless I'm missing something, the dates don't line up. The story you posted a link to was published on Feb 20th, sez this guy is out the door on the 28th of Feb. Over a month before the NSTB 'leak'. And if by leak you mean that a link to the press release is posted on the NTSB's home page on the World Wide Web, for literally the entire world to access, then yeah, very cloak and dagger on the part of the Feds, and this guy certainly went rogue.

 

Quote below, only a few days after accident. This was a very irresponsible statement by him so early in the investigation.

"Chealander said Sunday that the pilot appeared to ignore recommendations by the NTSB and his employer that the autopilot be turned off in icy conditions. The autopilot remained on until an automatic system warned that a stall could occur, pushed the yoke forward and shut the autopilot off.
Chealander acknowledged that it was possible that the pilot overreacted by yanking the yoke back, further destabilizing the plane"


Buffalo Plane Crash: NTSB Member Says Pilots May Have Rejected Federal Safety Recommendations

 

Ok, mea culpa, I did not see this posted on your original post, only the link to a story in the Dallas paper. I understand where you're coming from, but finish the quote from the above story....

"Chealander acknowledged that it was possible that the pilot overreacted by yanking the yoke back, further destabilizing the plane, but he said that was one of an almost unlimited number of possibilities."

That he acknowledged an overreaction leads me to believe that he was asked the question, rather than soapboxing his own opinion. Yes, he should have given the standard canned answer, "This is an ongoing investigation, I'm not able to comment". But, he didn't and also didn't go so far as to say that the NTSB is convinced it's pilot error.

Look, at the end of the day, none of this really matters. It may be in bad taste, and we may not like it, but it does nothing to change what actually happened up there. You're looking for the media to do someting that they rarely do, show restraint during a time of tragedy. Doesn't happen. These are the same people who treated us to photos of people jumping out of windows on 9/11. Take a breath, mourn, and do your best to protect the memories of the crew and pax from unwarrented, premature ridiclue. I'm sure that thier legacies will offer someting for all of us to learn from.

The flying public wants to know if the skies are safe from this new menace to aviation called ice, so they're glued to this. Fankly, I think that the media is doing a halfway decent job on this one. It could be a lot worse.

 

Look, there's no doubt that the media by nature will sensationalize things just to sell papers, or to get ratings, that's not the point.

The point here is that the media is now reporting on an ongoing investigation. Drawing conclusions without the data or the technical background to asses the circumstances surrounding the accident. Was the NTSB (or members of) responsible for fueling the fire? You bet! They have a duty to not disclose the information in any shape or form, even as opinion (in other words they have an obligation to shut the fukc up until the hearings).

It still doesn't make it right, and at the end of the day the damage to the image of all regional pilots is already done; this is really the big picture here. And what about the crew of said accident? I suppose you're right, expecting the media to honor someone's memory, is like expecting management to do the right thing for labor....it's probably not going to happen.

Bond

 

The public sees FO's as over paid buttton pushers.
I am an FO and I had a lady ask me if I wanted to be a real pilot one day. Yep and go from making 100K a year to 300K.

Back to the topic, does the Q have a fixed horizontal stab? (Fixed angle of incidence)