3 ms·

IIRC TFA says some pilots are seeking whistleblower protection now. The helicopter pilot community is so small they were afraid of getting blacklisted. --- T

• cmurf 9y ago
  I'm not certain they will get sued out of existence. Company no doubt has a liability waiver contract that holds them harmless no matter what, with a fixed maximum liability even if they're negligent. Now whether that holds up in court... point is, outcome is uncertain. If the company used intimidation tactics, that may be a crime, a corrupt intent to subvert compliance with FARs as it pertains to safety. If so, I sincerely hope a prosecutor is assigned who is skeptical of blaming only pilots, and will recognize intimidation as significant distortion on pilot judgment and authority. I don't like the idea of the corporate veil protecting a CEO who overrides the judgment of pilots let alone also uses economic coercion by threatening their career - so if that's really what happens I hope he's criminally prosecuted. But as a pilot, I still can't completely hold pilots blameless when they saw enough safety concerns to say something about it to the company, witnessed insufficient remediation, did nothing else, and now people are dead.