Be honest Markus, you're only blaming the airline because the plane is made by ATR which is a part Italian firm. The aircraft in question is 25 years old and Iranian pilots and maintenance crews are renowned for their professionalism and dedication to their jobs. They aren't miracle workers and a 25 year old plane will still have issues.
When 66 people die in a terrible plane crash you don't say the plane that crashed is an "awesome aircraft".
To be blunt about it...Yes, he can.
If you do not like the hyperbole, then substitute the word for 'excellent', but that still would not change the fact that mishap investigators will
FIRST look at the aircrew, then the maintenance, then the external factors. The first two items are human related, hence, the airline will be under scrutiny.
When I was active duty, I went thru Aircraft Battle Damage Repair (ABDR) training.
http://www.af.mil/News/Article-Disp...raft-battle-damage-repair-training-to-allies/
The Japanese maintainers are here to train on the F-15 Eagle and the C-130 Hercules.
Two of the Japanese students, 1st Lt. Yusuke Asano and Staff Sgt. Masayaka Takeuchi, will return to Japan to be maintenance instructors. The pair agreed that watching the instructors here and being trained in the ABDR techniques would be helpful as they returned to teach their troops aircraft maintenance.
The training were not mandatory but were highly encouraged for both enlisted and officers whose primary missions are directly related to aircraft.
Despite the word 'Battle', investigation techniques and methodologies are applicable to any aviation mishap under any condition. If there is a hole on a panel, obviously being a hole would at least imply a bullet, whereas a gash would imply shrapnel. Each require a different path of investigation and repair. A bullet, like from a 20 mm cannon round, would penetrate deeper into the aircraft's interior, which would require the investigator/repairman to trace the bullet's possible route to its end before any repair recommendation.
So let me put it this way...Is battle damage a technical event or a human caused event? Like it or not, it is a human caused event. It was the pilot -- not the jet -- who entered into an environment where it can be damaged.
Never had the misfortune of investigating a real aviation mishap but I have talked to those who do and has done it. The military training gave me insights into what these people deal with: That after looking at the dead the next uncomfortable thing is to look at the living -- the airline.
It is very easy and therefore quick to impart blame into the abstract such as aircraft design or even the national origin of the aircraft. But the harsh reality of these event is much more local and all you have to do is look in the mirror.
condolences.
