Again, it may be a little premature to call for regulations and talk about acceptable loss rates, particularly with the loss of T-42.
We don't know what happened or why it was lost, beyond that the flight terminated abruptly in a mountainside.
Tom Risk would be among the first to point out that such a mishap is a wake-up call to each of us, each and every time. If nothing else, it's a red flag that reminds us we're all mortal and that our known universe which is fine and well this second might not be the next. These times remind us to do all in our power to keep from becoming the next example.
That said, we don't know what happened. For those calling for greater regulation, exactly what do you intend to regulate? Make it illegal to strike a hillside in flight? Make it illegal to fly at low altitudes? Put in place requirements that we don't crash? No one is foolish enough to suggest such things...but that leaves us with nothing to regulate. We don't know why this mishap occured, and accordingly, inventing rules and regulations to address the unknown is a futile and idiotic endeavor.
Is the loss rate acceptable? It's never been acceptable, even if it's one aircraft, even if it's a single pilot in a SEAT. I appreciate it as much as the next guy (having, among other things in the fire business, seven seasons in SEATs, along with heavy tankers, air attack, and other roles)...and I appreciate it from the perspective of one who was on a hillside following an engine failure during an active fire just three short years ago. I was one of the stats...eight of us went down that season. What to do about it? We fly mechanical equipment into highly variable and unpredictable demanding environments, as you well know. Losses are never acceptable, but are also never a surprise.
No regulation is going to prevent me from striking a hillside. No amount of training will prevent it. All manner of legislation would be a wonderful addition, from the public safety officer's death benefits act to increased rates to operators for wages, training, maintenance, and of course, operations. We've seen innovative and gradual improvements ranging the gamut from duty restrictions to TCAS to AFF, and gone are the days when we'd fly all day, change cylinders all night, and then fly again the next morning. Communications have improved. Bases and facilities are better. But the truth is that no amount of regulation, no amount of legislation, no amount of paperwork will save the industry from the reality of unstable air and burning fuels and rock. It won't prevent incidents or mishaps, it won't bring back the dead, and it won't stop another valued soul from blending with terrain on a steep and rocky slope somewhere. It's going to happen again.
I'd prefer to see you leave speculation out of this thread. I'd prefer to see those who knew the deceased have something to say about their passing, and save the politics and unrelated rantings for another thread. A little respect is in order, because those who were lost will not only be missed, but will be missed by all of us who knew them, with a sad, but solemn respect. Let's not make this an opportunity to wave our favorite causes and flags. We've just lost some good men. Let that be enough.
