Implications?

[CTD]

Excellent points. As Heedm and cap suggest, we''ve all cut lockwire for chip detectors, changed filters or ignitors in the middle of Baffin Island. Illegal, but....

 

On the other side of the coin, I know of a case where a company (now defunct) would direct a young pilot (now deceased) to change starter/generators and other vital components, and mail the logbook back to base for signatures. How stupid is that?

 

Anyway, back to your point, Fin. If I''m reading you correctly, you are bothered by this happening around you, and would like to do something about it (advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer, but wish we didn''t). Problem is, you''ll be seen as a ''rat'' or something...am I close?

 

Story time.

 

A lady is taking a shuttle bus to the airport, on the way to see her grandchildren. She is sitting directly behind the bus driver, who is driving like an idiot - running stop signs, passing in illegal zones, you name it. The lady is terrified. All she can think of is that the bus will have an accident and she''ll never see her grandchildren again. This continues for another 10 minutes and the lady is shaking, she''s so scared. Finally, a guy in the back stands up and walks to the front, and says to the bus driver "Listen bud, we''re not in that much of a hurry here, would you mind slowing it down and driving a little more smoothly please?" The driver is quite taken back - nobody has ever spoken up before. He slows down and starts to drive normally, much to the relief of everyone aboard.

 

If you look at this story, it would be easy to conclude that the lady felt it was more important not embarrass the bus driver, than to never see her grand children again. This is ridiculous, of course, but why didn''t she speak up? How difficult is it to ask a guy to slow down?

 

We all tend to avoid this type of confrontation, it''s human nature. Nobody wants to be a ''tattle-tale'', and most of the time, this policy works just fine. You''re not going to call in the cops because every day at 6AM, your neighbour coasts through the stop sign at the end of your deserted street on his way to work.

 

Fin, if you believe this guy is a danger to himself and others, you have three choices.

- Do nothing and maybe he''ll stop - and hope he doesn''t kill someone else in the mean time.

- Talk to him yourself - sometimes, if people know how their actions look to others, they stop.

- Get a higher authority involved - chief pilot, ops manager, owner, TC, police, depending on the severity of the violations.

 

Sorry to rag on...Good luck.

[Elvis]

Fin is it possible that the person you are commenting about will read this and put 2 & 2 together?

[Fin]

CTD: Close. I''ll take option #2 and I didn''t taken as ragging.

Elvis: Highly doubt it.

[4961]

Hey Fin, good luck with your situation. It''s not fair that you''re put into spot that you now have to deal with, infact unprofessional is more the word. Think of this (and I''m sure you have) The next time that you strap on a machine that this person has flown before you, are you going to feel good about it? If the answer is no, then you owe it to yourself to act, and if you step on some toes doing it, that''s their problem not yours.

[cap]

Fin ----- I believe you got my point. I use the expression that, "there''s a difference betwwen scratching your *** and tearing the **** out of it".

 

CTD --- as normal, you addressed my point with your normal ''common sense''. There is, though, a last step I would add if all the others fail. MOT, some time ago, instituted the ability for pilots to make a confidential complaint. When all else fails there is always that. There''s also the old ''tried and trusted'' helicopter industry method-----Quit!!!

[CTD]

cap - I must correct you on one point of order..... I OWN that expression! And the right way to say it is: "There''s a difference between scratching your ar$se and tearin'' it to pieces." Please us the proper dictum in future.

 

Good point about the confidential reporting. What gets done about it will likely depend on the quality of the evidence trail.

[N1]

Plenty of very good points here already.

 

Many years ago, I had the pleasure of working with a pilot who believed he possessed exceptional and unquestionable mechanical abilities. He omitted to explain them to anyone when he was hired as a pilot, so as Chief Engineer I was not aware of these incredible skills.

 

One day, one of his activities was brought to my attention. He had accomplished something totally at odds with basic operating regulations, maintenance manuals, safety and common sense not to mention company operating procedure.

 

I contacted him immediately and asked him about what I had heard. He admitted it was true, was legal and that it was none of my business. In response, I politely advised him that ALL maintenance activities of our company were the directly delegated responsibility of myself, and that if he believed his stated position to be true, he now worked directly under my control and that I would now control his fate. If he elected to resume the responsibilites of a pilot and thus remain under the control of the Chief Pilot, that was also completely acceptable to me, but he would be one or the other.

 

We resolved the maintnenance issues. He stayed as a pilot and actually became a very compotent and valued member of our team.

 

The moral to this, is that failing to remedy a situation like this implies complicity for all others involved.

 

I am not talking about actions to get you out of a life or death situation, or looking to see if you can determine the source of a problem, or performing routine operational inspection and upkeep; but performing maintenance actions that you do not have the legal authority to perform. How can you define this position - generally when you are undertaking actions affecting the integrity of the aircraft or system and not making an appropriate log-book entry, because you can''t.

 

All you have to do is consider how this action would bear review in a Court of Law, where you will explain what you know, under oath, to a jury of your peers, in the presence of family members and colleagues. Want to know what this feels like - just ask anyone who has had the misfortune to go through it - I have never met anyone yet who enjoyed it or would want to do it a second time.

 

Best means to remedy this, is to talk to the Engineer responsible for Airwothiness. Whoever signed the last inspection, is unlikely to be happy that undocumented actions are being undertaken, that will probably be connected to him, should they lead to a problem. Likewise, the next Engineer inspecting the aircraft may be interested in looking at items that have been disturbed (but not documented) and may ultimately be connected to him.

 

Next step the Chief Engineer, then Chief Pilot, and up.

 

If all else fails, put it in writing. There are not too many companies that will fail to act on something like this in the modern litigious world.

 

Good managers and good companies can (and must) resolve issues of this nature before they escalate. They can be accomplished easily and thoroughly, whilst positively modifying the behaviour of the individual to everyone''s benefit.

 

Let us know how it goes.

[100ft]

cap,

 

going back a few posts.....life in prison is indeed ''life''. trivial info i know but i couldn''t let you go on thru life with the idea that life is 25yrs.

 

i''ve fortunately read many of you prev posts on cdnav.com and look fwd to learning plenty more from you and the others.

 

 

100''

[Flinger]

Fin,

 

You made the original post a little confusing. Has there actually been a crash already?

[Fin]

yep