Goodbye friend,

Goodbye friend,

In March of 2015, returning from a training session a friend of mine was killed in an accident.  I have been reluctant to write since then, all thought I have had for some time a couple of articles in mind.

So bear with me on this one, because it may not be on a cheerful note. 

Who was he?

He was a 50-year-old pilot who began his carrier in the military; at fifty and retired from active duty for many years, he flew a corporate job. He was a check airman and an instructor and received factory recurrent training every six months.

With over 15,000 hours he was a knowledgeable and proficient airman.

Of good nature and kind demeanor he was avid to help and share his knowledge and time to anyone who came to him, especially new comers.

On the day of the accident he was giving transition training to an airman who needed it to get a job.  They went out in the afternoon and were returning in the evening hours in a hazy environment. Visibility was hampered due to decreasing light, haze and clouds.  Overdue at night we went out to look for him hoping for a precautionary landing.  No such luck, the accident was found early in the morning in a steep slope.  For its appearance it contacted the slope descending in a wings level attitude.

At the turn of a page from the calendar in my desk he was gone, and now accepting the truth about this is for us the task at hand.

First things first, as humans we try to distance ourselves with the notion that some hard event like this one could happen to us.  We attribute the event to the individual and by doing so we no longer have to deal with the notion of something like this happening to us, because it relates not to people but to a person and his decisions and choices.

Now that we have leveled the field and taken off of the table that he made decisions we will never make, we are now able to see ourselves confronted with reality and from then on we have to rely in the tools that can level the field without lining in favor of an outcome.

         Statistics and risk matrixes are instruments that when used properly can give you insight of where to apply your efforts toward reducing risk and avoiding an accident.

         On the day of the accident he was confronted with a sum of circumstances that positioned him in a difficult corner.  As some would say, hindsight is 20/20.  Being who he was I know he knew everything there is to know on the subject, but the outcome remains.

         Vulnerable is the correct word, the moment I understood the accident had happened it came to me really clear. Being able to manage the everyday circumstances that lean our flights to difficult corners is an art.  Knowing our limitations and using the tools at hand is compulsory.

         But, we all know that, and still accidents continue to happen.  If you were to take out the factors of an accident that were related to something you do, what would you take?

         Is it rush, is it time, is it money, what is it.  What ever it is, it is in our hand before the accident happens.

         I miss my friend and only hope his memory and his teachings remain with me.

         May we be able to take out the factor that tips the outcome.

         I share in utmost respect for him and hope some good will come to you in his memory, for him he was a great airmen for sure no different tan us.

Luca Pineda