The surprising root contributing factors of this accident shed pretty good light on the ideal (from management perspective) structure of a regional airline. If you have time to watch the whole thing, you'll be astounded...this "airline" embodies in real life every bad joke and caricature of regionals. With the predictable sad results.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdYnkgKLXms

 

What a mess. Yet another reason it's better to have the logo on the tail match the logo on your paycheck.

 

This a litany of systematic mistakes coupled with some individual pilot errors under high stress load. When the safety chain gets compromised this many times in an organization, an error chain develops and then nobody can really stop it at the final level (ie. pilot). The genesis of most of it is money-driven behavior by most companies to farm anything possible out to the lowest bidder. I see this all the time, and what it does is remove the correct eyes from the job and put someone who is not actually responsible/knowledgeable there. For example, the ramp where I fly snow is supposedly removed by a contractor, but the contractor does not know what really needs to be done since they are not in the flying business, they are excavators mainly, but since they are supposedly qualified to do the job nobody higher up watches very closely to see what they are actually doing. They do the minimum to get the paycheck because that's all that's in it for them. So when the pilots go to their plane, there's two feet of snow drift around it and not as much as a vague plan for removing it by anyone. This is an example of systematic organizational error chain. Now the pilot has to remove a ton of snow to maintain proper safety, which is not in their job description.

 

I find it disconcerting that I see many of those practices at my own company. We have an extremely punitive sick/fatigue call system that puts a lot of pressure on crews to push the limits.

 

Ideal regional airline? The one closest to the Welfare office.

In other words there is no such thing.

 

exactly, just because there is a limit, doesn't mean you have to achieve that limit it every time!

 

I'm not sure why the CA decided to just take the power levers and not the aircraft. By taking part of the aircraft, he severely limited the FOs feel for the aircraft and prevented the FO from identifying the cause of the roll. I realize this is not the point of your post but I think it is an excellent example of poor CRM.
The FO obviously realized the action was non-standard and did not speak up. I think if the FO had offered the CA the aircraft the situation and outcome would have been different. Not because the FO was incapable or incompetent, but because the CA was uncomfortable in his new position.

There were certainly compounding factors, but I think this one factor was the final nail in the coffin.

 

same **** different pile

 

I don't see any of those practices here. You can be mad at the company all you want but don't just make stuff up. Our sick/fatigue call system isn't extremely punitive. You can accumulate four every rolling twelve months with nothing but a phone call checking up on you on your fourth. You can go all the way to eight before they will threaten you with termination. That's one sick call every month and a half. If you can't understand what a crappy employee you are at that point then perhaps a tough lesson is in order. You folks aren't entitled to a job.

 

ide·al \ī-ˈdē(-ə)l, ˈī-ˌ\ : exactly right for a particular purpose, situation, or person





Full Definition of IDEAL:

1) existing as an archetypal idea



2) existing as a mental image or in fancy or imagination only; broadly : lacking practicality

3) relating to or constituting mental images or conceptions