George Thomas Allison, Sarah Helen Darnely, Gary McCrossan, Duncan Munro

But I agree with senior counsel for the Crown that the industry and the regulatory authorities should take note of Captain Prior’s evidence that: “by working together, the manufacturer and the operators, you can create that bridge so that the operators understand how the auto pilot was designed to be used and the quirks and the pros and cons of various modes of flight, and at the same time the manufacturer can understand how the operators intend to the use the aircraft, provide guidance, and as well make sure that the product is optimised for use… The FCOM is perhaps a good way to improve the SOPs.”

In the longer term, I note that consideration is being given to establishing a protocol between the CAA and the Crown for the investigation of air accidents. I would encourage that initiative. It would also be timely that the Memorandum of Understanding between the Association of Chief Police Officers (Scotland) which no longer exists and the AAIB and others is updated to reflect the foundation of Police Scotland and, if appropriate, lessons learned from this and other accidents.