How long will it take to get accurate information on the cause of the EgyptAir crash this week?
“EgyptAir Flight 804’s Systems Detected Smoke Before It Disappeared,” The Wall Street Journal, May 21, 2016 A1. Automatic messages from onboard systems tell of smoke in the plane. The search goes on for the cockpit flight recorders.
Condolences to the families of those lost. But watch as the information dribbles in. First, loss of radio contact after the plane leaves Greek airspace. Plane assumed lost. Messages about smoke sent automatically. Plane wreckage reported, then found. Multiple sources, sometimes with conflicting reports – typical of the aftermath of crises. News stations have their experts speculating fulltime. Donald Trump opines on the obvious cause.
Looking at this from the airline’s viewpoint, how important is having the information in real time? How important is that to the families of the passengers and crew. How does the news business deal with the absence or dirth of hard information? Expect renewed calls for real-time transmission of cockpit voice recorder data. How important for the Egyptian government? For other politicians?
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