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Should the lost pilots have their licenses revoked?

What should happen to the lost pilots?

  • They should get a warning

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Why all the fuss? Everyone has lapses from time to time

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • I'd hire them if I had an airline

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    17

MyOwnDrum

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What about these goofing off, distracted pilots? Should they have their licenses revoked?

BBC NEWS | Americas | Lost US pilots' licences revoked

Two US pilots who overshot their destination after losing track of time while using their personal laptops have had their licenses revoked.

Contact with the plane was lost for over an hour after the pilots flew 150 miles (240km) past their scheduled destination at Minneapolis last week.

First Officer Richard Cole and Captain Timothy Cheney said they were engrossed in discussing a new company policy.

Government regulators say they broke a number of federal aviation regulations.

The two pilots have 10 days to appeal the revocation of their licenses by the Federal Aviation Administration.
 
Probably not, but the FAA is making a political move, not a rational one. They think everyone expects them to fire the pilots so they're firing the pilots.

I had a nice long conversation with a 30+ commercial airline veteran who says what they did isn't unusual or uncommon. At best, they should be suspended for a couple of months and required to undergo retraining. Firing them is rather silly, but the FAA is often a silly organization.
 
Of course they should. I don't see how anyone could view this any other way. :confused:
 
Probably not, but the FAA is making a political move, not a rational one. They think everyone expects them to fire the pilots so they're firing the pilots.

I had a nice long conversation with a 30+ commercial airline veteran who says what they did isn't unusual or uncommon. At best, they should be suspended for a couple of months and required to undergo retraining. Firing them is rather silly, but the FAA is often a silly organization.

Drunk driving isn't uncommon either, but if you get caught, you can and should get in trouble for it. These guys not only got caught, but they overshot the airport by 150 miles.
 
Drunk driving isn't uncommon either, but if you get caught, you can and should get in trouble for it. These guys not only got caught, but they overshot the airport by 150 miles.

did this endanger their passengers or the public in any way?

seriously. I have not made up my mind on this. don't want to have a knee jerk reaction
 
And a danger to their lives as well.

You can't sue because something 'might have happened'. You must have real and actual damages. For example, if the wrong medicine was prescribed, but there was no harm, you have no case.
 
And a danger to their lives as well.

how so, they were probably on autopilot cruising at a specific altitude, and a proximity alarm would have sounded if they got 'too close' to another aircraft.

I do not support what happened, and am not trying to make excuses for them, but I am not sure they deserved to have their livelihood taken from them, unless this is another example of a bad pattern in their behaviour
 
The fact that people are suing over this is a sign of the time and place in which we find ourselves. We are a generation of greedy wimps.
 
You can't sue because something 'might have happened'. You must have real and actual damages. For example, if the wrong medicine was prescribed, but there was no harm, you have no case.

Meh, I'd find a lawyer to argue otherwise until the company settled out of court.

I have tuition to pay off, after all.
 
how so, they were probably on autopilot cruising at a specific altitude, and a proximity alarm would have sounded if they got 'too close' to another aircraft.

Yeah, or like, ground control could have told them....oh wait :doh

I do not support what happened, and am not trying to make excuses for them, but I am not sure they deserved to have their livelihood taken from them, unless this is another example of a bad pattern in their behaviour.

Uh, yeah, if you loose "situational awareness" because you're having sex or playing worl of warcraft at 30,000 ft /250 mph...yeah you deserve to loose your livelihood.
 
I thought you said that passengers were suing. I must have misunderstood you.

I said the pilots should be sued in addition to loosing their jobs.

I don't know if anyone is actually suing.
 
I said the pilots should be sued in addition to loosing their jobs.

I don't know if anyone is actually suing.

What grounds should they be sued on? Everyone was safe and with a good story to tell their friends and family.
 
What grounds should they be sued on? Everyone was safe and with a good story to tell their friends and family.

time has a value for most people, and these pilots cost these people time
seems like an open and shut case

recently my Broker won a court case and it was determined by the judge that a Realtors time is worth $300/hr
 
What grounds should they be sued on? Everyone was safe and with a good story to tell their friends and family.

Reckless endangerment comes to mind....idk, my lawyer could sure come up with a few charges.

You can not-harm anyone and still have don something wrong.

Of course they could always pay me not to go on a few morning shows and talk ****....
 
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time has a value for most people, and these pilots cost these people time
seems like an open and shut case

recently my Broker won a court case and it was determined by the judge that a Realtors time is worth $300/hr

How much time did they lose? Some of my friends have cost me more time than that. My doctor canceled 3 appointments in a row after I had set aside 3 separate days for appointments. I was given bad directions a few times too. I was very annoyed.
 
How much time did they lose? Some of my friends have cost me more time than that. My doctor canceled 3 appointments in a row after I had set aside 3 separate days for appointments. I was given bad directions a few times too. I was very annoyed.

Did you doctor cancel those appointments because he lost "situational awareness" with nearly 100 lives on the line?
 
Did you doctor cancel those appointments because he lost "situational awareness" with nearly 100 lives on the line?

No lives were lost.

I have no idea why the doctor canceled the appointments, they gave some excuse of course. I don't go to that practice anymore, they were too flakey.

Now I've been told that in order to successfully sue, one must have real damages. Losing an hour or two of time would be more of a small claims court type case. If you missed a connection or some other important event, and maybe you had to pay for a taxi and hotel somewhere. I would guess the airline compensated the passengers in this case.
 
No lives were lost.

Ok, you can just dodge the question, I'll let you go.

Now I've been told that in order to successfully sue, one must have real damages.

You were told wrong.

......The third major form of damage is exemplary (or punitive) damages, which combines punishment and the setting of public example. Exemplary damages may be awarded when the defendant acted in a malicious, violent, oppressive, fraudulent, wanton or grossly reckless way in causing the special and general damages to the plaintiff. On occasion punitive damages can be greater than the actual damages, as, for example, in a sexual harassment case or fraudulent schemes. Although often asked for, they are seldom awarded. Nominal damages are those given when the actual harm is minor and an award is warranted under the circumstances......

law.com Law Dictionary
 
I don't get it they made a mistake, a fairly minor one. It was also the first time. Suspension should be enough. Why would you want to completely take away the lively hood and/or careers of these men? Not to mention they are most likely veterans.

A little less knee jerk, and a lot more common sense.
 
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