Pilot denied jobless benefits: SeaPort Airlines, accident occurred February

fholbert

fholbert

Mod's - Please don't edit my posts!
Before the plane landed at Salina Regional Airport, Scarsella and his fellow pilot, who is not identified in the records, failed to deploy their landing gear.

The $2.2 million Pilatus PC-12 plane essentially crash-landed, skidding to a stop on its belly.

Neither pilot was injured, but both were immediately fired by SeaPort Airlines.

Story Here: http://www.kathrynsreport.com/2014/08/pilot-denied-jobless-benefits-pilatus.html

belly-landing-01-400x275.jpg
 
This is a tough one. Workplace misconduct is almost always a reason to not get unemployment, but is forgetting to put the landing gear down misconduct or a mistake? And since such laws are state specific, and I have no clue at all what statutes Iowa has on such things, I would need to learn a lot more before I make an opinion on this particular case.
 
moxiepilot said:
The judges comparison of forgetting a checklist / failure to deploy the gear to consciously running red lights is absurd. I hope he appeals
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Talk about a company with an axe to grind! The guys lose their jobs to error and then seashort still tries to screw em over? Daaaaaaaaayum! Hope he appeals.
 
You never get benefits for being fired unless you can show you were unjustly fired. Forgetting the checklist and the gear is unacceptable, especially in a 2 crew environment. It is a crappy deal, but they don't deserve unemployment benefits. They were fired for a major workplace mistake. Had they been laid of, that's another story.
 
floridabeachbum said:
Talk about a company with an axe to grind! The guys lose their jobs to error and then seashort still tries to screw em over? Daaaaaaaaayum! Hope he appeals.
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I hope he appeals. It was a mistake that a lot of pilots before them have made. Unless the pilots have a history of disregard for the regs, policy, and procedures, they should get unemployment.

What was there duty day like and the day before? Was fatigue and issue?
 
ppragman said:
Anyone who says they haven't forgotten to do a checklist is lying.

"Why the hell am I flying so slow and nose low?!"
<RED FOREMAN> FLAPS DUMBASS</RED FOREMAN>
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I can safely say that I've missed more check list items while trying to "do the correct procedure" than doing the procedure than im used to. It almost seems that in an effort to please who ever might be sitting next to you that check those "trivial" things that never get checked while neglecting the super important things that you always check out of habit.

Before anyone pulls out the pitchforks, I get it; every item should be checked all the time. Since we're all human though, that obviously doesn't happen.
 
Total BS: it was a mistake, plain and simple, not intentional or malicious. Should the Atlas crew that landed at the wrong airport (assuming they, uh,had to make a career change- no idea if that was the case) get treated the same way? The United crew who could not make a short hop to reposition the aircraft without landing at the right airport they narrowly averted?

There are literally hundreds of folks who have to make that walk.

This is a bad road to go down, and you, as flight crew members should be on board with a forgetful crew. Everyone has a bad day now and then. Hell, I suppose the line gets fuzzy on failed checkrides then to, eh?

I can remember 30 years ago how grateful I was that some thoughtful engineer installed a horn just for me.
 
Inverted said:
You never get benefits for being fired unless you can show you were unjustly fired.
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I don't disagree with these people not getting unemployment benefits. However, your statement is a common misconception and is certainly not accurate. You can be fired and receive unemployment benefits, depending on the reason you were fired.

Remember also that a lot of this is state level, so making a specific absolute statement will almost always be wrong somewhere.

-Fox
 
Itchy said:
Total BS: it was a mistake, plain and simple, not intentional or malicious. Should the Atlas crew that landed at the wrong airport (assuming they, uh,had to make a career change- no idea if that was the case) get treated the same way? The United crew who could not make a short hop to reposition the aircraft without landing at the right airport they narrowly averted?

There are literally hundreds of folks who have to make that walk.

This is a bad road to go down, and you, as flight crew members should be on board with a forgetful crew. Everyone has a bad day now and then. Hell, I suppose the line gets fuzzy on failed checkrides then to, eh?

I can remember 30 years ago how grateful I was that some thoughtful engineer installed a horn just for me.
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It took my dad something like 30 years of flying to bust a checkride, but he eventually did. Right after his best friend was a passenger in a Bonanza that crashed at SLC Number Two.

So yes, you can have a bad day. Doesn't really matter, in the end, why you're having said bad day either.
 
Generally speaking, unemployment is available to you if you lose your job through no fault of your own. If they cut hours and you get laid off, or if the facility you're working at gets shut down, or things like that, you're probably good.

However, forgetting to put down the gear and then getting fired for it? I'm sympathetic to the guys who did it -- it's a mistake that can happen to anyone -- but can you honestly say that they lost their jobs through no fault of their own?
 
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