The article makes mention of the NTSB reality show filmed last year. I cannot even begin to express how disgusted I am by the NTSB by allowing this show to make entertainment out of peoples fatal plane wrecks. The fact is nobody acts the same on camera as they would alone, it is distracting at best, thinking about their image instead of doing their job. On top of that, the TV crew being on site cannot help but contaminate the scene. The person that made the decision to allow this should be fired, and if the NTSB has a big enough budget to pay for their folks to be reality stars and escorting TV crew around it is obvious that their budget is way too big.

This crap "Chaps my hide"

Headoutdaplane wrote:The article makes mention of the NTSB reality show filmed last year. I cannot even begin to express how disgusted I am by the NTSB by allowing this show to make entertainment out of peoples fatal plane wrecks. The fact is nobody acts the same on camera as they would alone, it is distracting at best, thinking about their image instead of doing their job. On top of that, the TV crew being on site cannot help but contaminate the scene. The person that made the decision to allow this should be fired, and if the NTSB has a big enough budget to pay for their folks to be reality stars and escorting TV crew around it is obvious that their budget is way too big.

This crap "Chaps my hide"

I agree. I've been close to two fatal accidents in Alaska, including being on site as an observer during the Investigators "investigation". Not a party to the investigation, but the wrecks were released to us after they were done.

Frankly, I was stunned at how brief and minimalist those investigations were. And the conclusions they came to were absolutely wrong, and any half assed pilot who took a few minutes would realize that. And, yes, in one of these cases, the results were challenged to the Board. The Board's response: "You're not trained accident investigators."

So, it doesn't surprise me at all that they want to turn this very serious business into a reality show. Their "investigations" of anything that doesn't say "airliner" on the side are often a joke, in my opinion.

But, if they can get in front of the cameras at a "big one" wearing their official NTSB regalia, they will work that to the hilt.

MTV

Headoutdaplane wrote:The article makes mention of the NTSB reality show filmed last year. I cannot even begin to express how disgusted I am by the NTSB by allowing this show to make entertainment out of peoples fatal plane wrecks. The fact is nobody acts the same on camera as they would alone, it is distracting at best, thinking about their image instead of doing their job. On top of that, the TV crew being on site cannot help but contaminate the scene. The person that made the decision to allow this should be fired, and if the NTSB has a big enough budget to pay for their folks to be reality stars and escorting TV crew around it is obvious that their budget is way too big.

This crap "Chaps my hide"

I don't have an opinion about this particular program, because I haven't seen it or any clips from it, but I think most of us agree that aviation "reality" shows are anything but real.

I also agree with you that people don't act the same on camera as they do off it. My limited experience (other than catching a glimpse of some of the dopey things shown on the various reality shows--Marilyn is a fan of most of them) comes from a local but relatively high profile criminal case I defended back in 96 or 97, in which my client was accused of vehicular homicide by intentionally running a car off the road with his cattle truck. The Judge bowed to public pressure and permitted a video camera crew in the courtroom. Although he ordered that they could not use their lights, it was obvious when the cameraman would stand up to video something and turn on the camera with a very visible red light on it showing that it was running.

The first day of trial, I could see that some of the prosecution's witnesses were playing to the camera. Near the end of the day, both the prosecutor and I asked the judge to curtail the videography. He agreed, but allowed the photographing of goings on for the rest of the trial. That was less obtrusive, since it was less obvious.

Cary

I think the sentiment is shared by most especially in commercial aviation here.

There was some circulation of Young/Murkowski/Sullivan contact info along with the Ancorage NTSB # along with some points (basically what you mention...sensationalism, tax dollars, families....). If you haven't contacted all of the above I urge you do so. SO fn wrong.

Sen. Murkowski came out very strong against this publicly already (thanks Lisa!) and a little more pressure probably wouldn't hurt.

Those #s and emails should be easy to find but if not I can find email and post.

907-271-5001 is ANC NTSB

Thanks for the info on showing our disapproval on this issue Kevin. I too believe that capitalizing on the misfortunes of others for the sake of entertainment is disgusting. Especially by those who's job it is to investigate for the sake of safety of the public. If I thought this show would help some to learn from the mistakes of others I'd feel different.

It's not. It's just pure gratuitous, graphic entertainment for the masses at the expense of those who died through misfortune. I'll be writing letters.

The first one there was in my back yard...well not right in it but not far away. The cause was lack of adult supervision. Sad the gal lost her life over it.