Journal of Internet Disasters

Wed Nov 18 18:21:32 UTC 1998

At 11:22 AM 11/18/98 -0500, Jay R. Ashworth wrote:
>On Sun, Nov 15, 1998 at 10:20:30AM -0500, Deborah Ann Smith wrote:
>> Even the FAA recognizes no matter how good a flight crew, if they get
>> incorrect information from the Tower, any problems that occur are the
>> Tower's fault!
>
>You know; would that this were true.
>
>If the tower gives you instructions that you _know_ will endanger your
>flight, the final responsibility for avoid that danger lies with you as
>pilot in command.  You have to tell them you're ignoring them, but you
>have to ignore them.
>
>Not that this will help you a damn when FAA decides to suspend your
>ticket for ignoring ATC...

Yes, but that's done, pending review and investigation. If you can document
properly you will be exonerated. I happen to know of one instance where
this actually happened and both the pilot and the ATC guy were suspended,
pending review. Both were exonerated because the problem was equipment
failure. Otherwise one of those suspensions might have become permanent.

In the air-space, the FAA tends to err on the side of safety, rather than
justice. If there is a doubt, everyone involved gets grounded until the
doubt is removed. It sounds harsh, but that is a main reason that the
air-space has the safety-record that it has.

An aircraft's main function is to get you high enough off the ground such
that the fall will kill you.
		- Pilot's credo.

___________________________________________________ 
Roeland M.J. Meyer, ISOC (InterNIC RM993) 
e-mail: <mailto:rmeyer at mhsc.com>rmeyer at mhsc.com
Internet phone: hawk.mhsc.com
Personal web pages: <http://www.mhsc.com/~rmeyer>www.mhsc.com/~rmeyer
Company web-site: <http://www.mhsc.com/>www.mhsc.com/
___________________________________________ 
 Who is John Galt?
 "Atlas Shrugged" - Ayn Rand