Tenerife was the culmination of many isolated incidents that cascaded into the horrible accident that claimed so many lives.

He, the pilot, hasn't in a hurry to get home, he was nearing his maximum on duty limit and had to get that plane in the air or KLM would have to ferry a new crew in to fly the plane out. He was obviously frustrated too by the change in routine that happened and the many delays that day.

I believe that Pat, or someone he referenced, did an excellent reading of the ashes left from that. It's the human factor that you can't remove from anything that happens in this complex world.

To expound slightly on an earlier comment, we should also expect and demand that the regulators actively work to catch and meaningfully punish those individuals and corporations that violate the laws and regulations for their industry. To fine Southwest 10 million was too low in my opinion. Punishments should hurt but now kill. Some punishments should not be subject to appeal IMO. Exxon Valdez as an example.

Anyone looking at the nuclear power/oil industry and the history of punishment for corporations involved in pollution would be a wake up call to the idea of regulators and perpetrators having too close of a relationship and of government 'meaningless' fines and punishment. Well, and the meat industry too. Did Southwest endanger the lives of their passengers? Yes. More so than any other carrier? Yes. Was it dire and reckless? Can't tell, assumes motive. The idea that they got away with it this time and had no airframe loss doesn't make me confident that something like this won't happen again or isn't happening now somewhere else.

If they actually had a crash, would they have been so forthcoming to admit they 'screwed up'? I doubt it. One could hope that they would voluntarily suicide their company if that had happened but the better likelihood is that it would be silenced from their lawyers and might come out in discovery or during a trial (damage control).

Once again, there likely is an attitude of hubris based on the safety record in the industry. Why else would Northwest continue to fly planes almost as old as me? Because they can. The bean counters say that the risk is worth it. The thought crossed my mind when I flew United to England. The plane was a mess and many things were inoperative in the cabin. I only hoped that the things that kept us in the air were working and maintained properly. The drive to create profit can be dangerous.

Study up on 'risk assessment'. Risk benefit ratios. Monte Carlo method for risk assessment.

He said that he'd rather ride in a DC-9 than most of the newer planes on the market. I was shocked. 'Why?' 'Because they are, or were, incredibly over designed and can take whatever you can throw at them. DC-9's are running all over the place and aside from some stupid mistakes and one or two horrific accidents, they've been a damn good plane.'

I guess I'd have to agree. The DC-9 was brought about to serve a number of different customers and they have done very well. Sure the engine had a batch of compressor discs that were bad but even then, they survived. They have more room than the new 900 that I flew on three weeks ago.

My comments have had the undercurrent of wondering if this incident with Southwest and United are isolated incidents of bad maintenance practices. It HAS been a long time since a major airline lost a plane load of people. (What about that plane after 9/11 in New York?) It's understandable that people will get complacent about the safety of the industry. Isn't that one of the arguments after NASA's Challenger explosion?

I would like to think that everything is fine and regulations are working as they should, the regulated and regulator are insuring everything is followed. You can't inspect everything.

Life is a risk. I could die tonight of a heart attack or a stroke or crossing the road tomorrow. The idea of getting from LAX to PVD in less than four days by car has risks. I hope the safety that we have enjoyed continues.

Pilots will always be needed. It is they that are paid to fly the plane. The idea of the end of pilots removes my childhood romantic ideal of someone who gets to see different cities and different people and gets paid for it... How cool is that! (Granted I've never been a pilot. I can imagine that it has it's days too...)

Fly on!