Reflecting on an accident that made all the wrong headlines - Stephen Butcher

I have found the recent reporting of the Houle aircraft accident to be disturbing. There was no need to release the details of how these loved ones died. I found it disturbing, as the media worked themselves into a frenzy of trying to top each other with a more sensational story than the other, they forgot that two local families lost loved ones. I have never had the misfortune to experience such a loss but it does not take much thought to realize how devastating these losses would be to both families.

Kevin Houle’s skills as a pilot were, without any foundation, questioned within hours of the accident by professionals who did not have the evidence or abilities to make any judgments on Kevin’s piloting skills or qualifications. I spoke to the OPP officer who made statements to the media. The officer has absolutely no background education to investigate an aircraft accident and did not even go to the accident scene, yet felt quite comfortable standing before the press commenting about the accident. Can someone tell me when the OPP made the decision to start to release specific details and conclusions regarding any accident prior to investing the accident by qualified people?

More disturbing were the comments of the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, who began to release speculation to the media from the beginning. Why was Kevin’s pilot licence questioned in front of the media? Would it not have been more professional to look up the facts first before questioning Kevin’s licences? These licence details are readily available online to these investigators. There is no need to ask questions, out loud, to the media.

I have been a pilot for more than 30 years, most of those years being a commercial pilot. My education is in aerospace engineering and I have worked in the aircraft manufacturing industry, in the flight test department. I have worked as an accident investigator for years, involving several fatalities. I have been an aircraft owner for years and have flown over the area of the accident numerous times. I have my aircraft maintained by the same mechanic as Kevin did for his aircraft and had flight training by the same flight school Kevin did. I feel somewhat qualified to speak to this issue.

All pilots in Canada who receive flight training also get night training and are introduced to instrument flight training.

Every VFR licenced pilot will make the mistake of entering into IFR flight conditions. He or she will not do it on purpose, but it will happen due to rapid weather changes, especially in the winter, when it starts to snow. The introductory IFR flight training gives you the skills to get out of the bad weather. It is very easy to get your night rating. Picture yourself driving a car at night. It’s not that different than driving in the day time. However, add bad weather at night and you have a bad situation on your hands.

It usually takes three things to go wrong for an aircraft accident to happen. This accident was a classic case of the small things becoming crucial as the flight progressed. Most importantly is the fact that Kevin had no control over the first two problems. Kevin would have been able to check the weather from any computer via the Internet. He would have been able to get the weather at the Sudbury airport and the Kingston airport. The trouble is that there is very little weather information for the route of the flight, from Kingston to Sudbury. The only people who know what the weather was that night, at that time, were the people on that plane. Everyone else will be guessing.

The only people, who know what the weather was that night, at that time, were the people on that plane.

Kevin kept this emergency locator in good condition as this is how the aircraft was located. No aircraft of this size and vintage has a “black box,” as reported on the evening news. Kevin’s flight did not leave “late,” as reported by the safety board. He was not on a scheduled flight with a designated take-off time. VFR flight leave when they choose. Kevin did the necessary task of having a “responsible person” monitor his flight and report if he was overdue, as family members notified officials that the aircraft was overdue. Kevin also spoke to air traffic controllers when he departed from Kingston. Also, there was no post-crash fire as reported on the news.

The second problem for Kevin would be that, from Kingston to Sudbury, Kevin would have been flying in a virtual black hole for communications with air traffic controllers. The air traffic controllers are geared to talk to high flying commercial aircraft only. This is wrong, has always been wrong and no steps are being taken to correct it.

The comment by the safety board that they were going (again speculating) to check in to whether Kevin got a weather update while on route is almost laughable.

It did not used to be this way but the government made a horrible mistake years age to privatize Canada’s air traffic control system and the cut backs in service began almost immediately as the “for profit private operator” strived to increase their profit line. We no longer have air traffic controllers in Sudbury.

Every year bad weather brings down aircraft. Kevin’s dad made the only common sense remark in regards to this horrible accident when he said that it was the weather that brought down his son’s aircraft. Maybe he could teach the safety board a few things about common sense.

Stephen Butcher lives in Lively