I spent three and a half hours reading the report. It’s well worth a read. It’s scary; I was aware of the Swiss cheese analogy in aviation safety, so it was scary to read how so many people were raising red flags, but due to either ignorance or politics these red flags were ignored; like people were complaining about the size of holes in the Swiss cheese so much but no real action took place.
The chapter about the rot in the machine made me especially worried. I now have serious doubts about the readiness of our armed forces.
Any major commercial airport approach and landing is high stress work and it must never be handed to unqualified unexperienced people, especially with ADHD. "It's not the plane, it's the pilot". Always.
I’ve read NTSB reports before. Studied aviation accidents as a hobby to help me overcome a sudden and irrational fear of flying (thanks Final Destination!).
I’m on Chapter 4, and this is, by far the best report I’ve ever read. Each section addressed in depth, historical context included because it’s important rather than omitted as being technically irrelevant. Dirty laundry splayed out on a blank canvas for the viewer to observe, digest, and reflect upon.
Not since the DC-10 have I been so incensed at an institution for its pettiness, personal vanity, and bureaucracy as I am with Congress, the FAA, the NTSB, and the DoD right now.
The problem here is not the ATC union failing to enforce safety measures, it's the federal agency whose job that is failing to do their job, and Congress for failing to oversee the organization effectively.
>I am gobsmacked. Where was the air traffic controllers' union? They could have used industrial action to address the unsafe conditions
Think about the incentives for a few nanoseconds.
If you think a union wouldn't wheel and deal and enter into some handshake agreement to "table this one concern to next year" indefinitely in exchange for something I've got a bridge to sell you.
Adding another entity isn't gonna change the fact that the local controllers will still be the only people who care (because it's likely their ass if something happens).
That's the last time there was an ATC strike, 90% were fired and they got none of their demands. Turns out, the people of the US don't care if their air traffic controllers are overworked, understaffed, and chronically exhausted. They just want to (maybe) get to their destinations.
TL;DR: Because of her position and the difficulty of acquiring experience, Captain Lobach only had 454 total flying hours at the time of the accident, of which 326 were on the UH-60. She had flown only 56 hours in the past year,[1:12] below the already inadequate minimum of 60 for non-line pilots, due to a knee injury that kept her off the flight line for three months in 2024.[41] And in the two months before the accident flight, she had only flown for 4.4 hours,[1:12] in part because she forewent flying duties during the month of December in order to support her White House liaison role.[40:52–53] Taken in total, then, it cannot be said that Lobach was an experienced pilot; in fact, quite the opposite was true. With 454 hours, she would be ineligible to apply for a First Officer position at a commercial airline in the United States, and even in countries where airlines can hire First Officers right out of flight school with 250 hours, she would have been considered a rookie.
[Note: To understand the scale: think of Captain Peter "Maverick" Mitchell in the movie.]
> Note that this is a long article (~3 hour read). If you just want the executive summary of what happened, I might suggest skipping forward to chapter 7 first and then if you want more, go back and read the in-depth analysis of earlier chapters. [HN user kraussvonespy 2 days ago]
- Which doesn't mention that the first 6 para's of Chapter 7 are an excellent tl;dr; of the previous 6 chapters. And definitely understates both the detail and quality of the balance of Chapter 7 (the minute-by-minute details leading up to the crash).
The chapter about the rot in the machine made me especially worried. I now have serious doubts about the readiness of our armed forces.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/husband-pa...
I’m on Chapter 4, and this is, by far the best report I’ve ever read. Each section addressed in depth, historical context included because it’s important rather than omitted as being technically irrelevant. Dirty laundry splayed out on a blank canvas for the viewer to observe, digest, and reflect upon.
Not since the DC-10 have I been so incensed at an institution for its pettiness, personal vanity, and bureaucracy as I am with Congress, the FAA, the NTSB, and the DoD right now.
About congress overriding safety concerns for their personal convenience
Air traffic controllers' concerns were shutdown by the FAA because of "politics"
I am gobsmacked. Where was the air traffic controllers' union? They could have used industrial action to address the unsafe conditions
I am yet to finish the document. I am expecting to see the ATCs and the pilots blamed by the authorities, I hope not.
Effectively neutered 45 years ago after the strike in 1981.
Think about the incentives for a few nanoseconds.
If you think a union wouldn't wheel and deal and enter into some handshake agreement to "table this one concern to next year" indefinitely in exchange for something I've got a bridge to sell you.
Adding another entity isn't gonna change the fact that the local controllers will still be the only people who care (because it's likely their ass if something happens).
That's the last time there was an ATC strike, 90% were fired and they got none of their demands. Turns out, the people of the US don't care if their air traffic controllers are overworked, understaffed, and chronically exhausted. They just want to (maybe) get to their destinations.
https://news.ycombinator.com/from?site=admiralcloudberg.medi...
Keep trying, folks. This one is worth it.
EDIT:
> Note that this is a long article (~3 hour read). If you just want the executive summary of what happened, I might suggest skipping forward to chapter 7 first and then if you want more, go back and read the in-depth analysis of earlier chapters. [HN user kraussvonespy 2 days ago]
- Which doesn't mention that the first 6 para's of Chapter 7 are an excellent tl;dr; of the previous 6 chapters. And definitely understates both the detail and quality of the balance of Chapter 7 (the minute-by-minute details leading up to the crash).
If you want to write for email, just write for email and don’t put it on the web. If you wanna put it on the web, use web features.
And either way, don’t put full screen stuff in my face when I’m trying to read.
I gave up. I’ll wait for a summary from another website that treats users better.