Ethical dilemmas and fatalities in a Dassault Falcon 50

 

Ethical dilemmas and fatalities in a Dassault Falcon 50

In September of 2018, a Falcon 50 crashed while attempting to land at a South Carolina airport resulting in the death of two pilots and serious injuries of passengers. The initial assessment noted a failure of brakes which led to crashing into a fence.

Neither pilot was qualified for the position they took in the aircraft. The pilot in command was only rated to be SIC. The copilot was the owner of the business (Air America Charters) and the plane that crashed. He was not even rated to fly commercially, and he should have known it was reckless. They were unable to follow ATC instructions or fly an approach.  

The aircraft had been in long-term storage and undergoing maintenance. It was not signed off as “airworthy.” Whether this was ignorance, negligence, or intentional deception, the charter was flying illegally claiming it was a non-revenue flight while charging paying passengers to fly. The pilots were guilty of flying outside of legal requirements and would have faced felony charges had they survived. Any reasonable pilot would have declined this flight. Was he coerced? .

Further research indicates that there was a long-term lack of FAA oversight. The maintenance inspector (who is tasked with ensuring regulatory compliance) never even visited the Clearwater facility where the airplane had been in storage. This created an environment where the charter company could regularly cut corners without fear of consequence. Despite all of this, the NTSB made no mention of FAA oversight failures in its report.

Ultimately, this crash was destined to occur based on deliberate choices of several key players to violate the law. There was no room for whistleblowers, as the company practiced nepotism and had key positions for family members.  The final report determined that the accident was preventable had maintenance issues been resolved and the flight crew followed standard procedures.

References:

Mondor, C. (2021, October 7). AINonline. Illegal Charter and the Falcon 50 Crash. https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2021-10-07/illegal-charter-and-falcon-50-crash

National Transportation Safety Board. (2020). Loss of control and impact with terrain, Dassault Falcon 50, N114TD (Report No. ERA18FA264). https://www.baaa-acro.com/sites/default/files/2021-12/N114TD.pdf