[Peetwo]

A perfect point of comparison - 

Most people have heard by now of the tragic crash on Jan. 26 (US WST), of a Sikorsky
S-76B helicopter in Calabasas, CA. which killed 9 people including retired basketball star Kobe Bryant and his 13 year old daughter.

Although in the early stages the NTSB investigation IMO provides yet again another perfect opportunity to compare how the ATSB and the NTSB go about their business with two very high profile aviation accidents involving multiple fatalities...

Let's start with the dreadful HC ABC media video:

A new low.

Somehow; I just can’t see the Senior Investigator of the NTSB turning up to a major, international event crash scene with his name embroidered (by his Mum) on his shirt front. Or dressed in the manner a junior producer of My Kitchen Rules imagines a ‘real’ out doors Australian dresses like; they don’t by the way. Only that idiot Irwin prancing about for the camera ‘wrestling’ tied up crocodiles did that – but only with the little ‘uns. Great theatre – but seriously?

At any accident scene the last thing the SAR boys, the police and search teams need is ‘crowd’ particularly of media types. The media is always kept back at a sensible distance; but they are there and persistent. That is their job. The head of the ATSB arriving anywhere near the media scrum would be bound to get a serious lot of attention. Was Hood on the mountain searching for clues? No. Was Hood combing the bush, picking leeches off his wet socks and battling the starving hoards of mosquitoes? NO he was not. Is Hood in any way shape or form ‘qualified’ to be anywhere else but in his Canberra office cooking the books to make a failing ATSB look good or crunching statistics out to prove that Angel Flight is dangerous and Pel-Air was kosher? Hardly qualified to that either; but, he does have all the right levers to make sure his Canary voice is not ever heard spilling the beans.

I can’t imagine what the professional air crash investigators (tin kickers) of this world may think of this self aggrandising insult to a dead crew, their families and their mates. But I do know it turns my stomach.

This is now the second lot of USA citizens killed in air accidents in Australia; Essendon and now in the mountains. The USA should demand to be the lead investigator on this latest event. Any close study of the dribble and waffle Hood espouses will show, that clearly accident investigation is a political football in this wide brown land – when the report eventually emerges from the wordsmiths mitts.

It troubles me that Hood would rush to put on his new, embroidered shirt, race up to the safest base away from the accident scene and grab a ‘photo- op’. Neither use nor ornament to SAR or investigation – but, because it is an international event, the horrible little man has to be there. Got to stop – now - before I throw up.

What can be said of the crew or to their nearest and dearest? The world is a poorer place without them. We all here feel the loss of a crew; no accolade is high enough – they did their job, in the approved manner: calmly, professionally and properly. God speed and tailwinds fellahin; safe home.

No Gazette this Sunday – mark of respect and gratitude.

Selah.

P7 - Second the Motion.

K and Co probably aren't going to like this but here was the full performance of the Hooded Canary courtesy of the ABC...

Ps Note the almost uncontrolled twitching - tourettes maybe??...  

Pps Do you get the feeling that HC has been waiting for this particular (high profile) moment ever since he was inappropriately appointed Chief Commissioner of the Australian Top Cover Bureau?? 

Spot the difference?

Now compare that to yesterday's NTSB Board Member Jennifer Homendy's second media briefing:

Note that the YouTube video is produced, therefore controlled, by the NTSB. Although Board Member Jennifer Homendy's performance is fairly dour and overly lengthy in presentation, never at any point does she deviate from just stating the facts as they were known at the point in time. Also note at approx 05:45 where Homendy presents factual information on the flight path, she says:

" ..I want to read it because I want to make sure it is reported accurately...(sic)"       

That is very clever and extremely professional as it cannot leave any room for media sensationalism.

Also note that Homendy had already visited the site.

It is also worth referring to the NTSB Twitter feed which as you would expect has many official posts (9 so far) over the last 48hrs related to the S76 fatal crash: https://twitter.com/NTSB_Newsroom

Including this heads up about the (above) 2nd media briefing:

NTSB Board Member Jennifer Homendy's second media briefing on the Jan. 26 helicopter crash in Calabasas, CA, available here...

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Plus:

 NTSB B-Roll taken on Jan. 27 of investigators documenting the accident site of the Jan. 26 helicopter crash in Calabasas, CA;

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And recently:

Photo taken Jan. 27, NTSB investigators Adam Huray and Carol Horgan
examine wreckage of the Jan. 26 helicopter crash near Calabasas, California.
Additional images of the investigation available via NTSB's Flickr account at:
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmL3kbgX

Now going back to the Hooded Canary media briefing - at this point in time:

a) ..there is no ATSB official recorded version of the HC media briefing;

b) ..nor is there a record on the ATSB news webpage or social media? There is only 2 tweets related to the C130 crash: 1) Notification that they will be conducting an investigation https://twitter.com/atsbgovau/status/122...0628794369 2) https://twitter.com/atsbgovau/status/122...1642498048

ATSB transport safety investigators today safely recovered the cockpit voice recorder from the C-130 large air tanker which collided with terrain near Cooma on Thursday. The CVR will be returned to our technical laboratories in Canberra for downloading and analysis.

c) ..in fact despite it being nearly 6 days after the crash, there is still no entry on the air accident  investigation page.

MTF...P2 

ps Passing strange coincidence recently (last 1hr) the C130 investigation details etc has been added to the ATSB aviation investigation page (note the update date at the bottom of the page) and the HOME page - 

Gotta wonder about all this Hood and dagger rubbish?? Maybe with the ATSB's limited resources they were all too busy out at the crash site...hmm so much for transparency -