“It was just an isolated incident.” The last time I heard this phrase, I was sitting at a conference room table in a client hangar with two other consultants. As usual, it did not mean what the client thought it did.
Fortunately, the incident in question had not resulted in personal injury or damage to the aircraft (and so by definition was not technically an “incident”). In fact, at the time, the passengers were probably unaware that anything had happened. But within two weeks, it had led to the dismissal of the director of aviation and chief pilot, created ill will among the members of the department, and left everyone so sensitive to criticism that simply mentioning it led to the dismissive remark that it was simply “an isolated incident.” The group, we were assured, was conducting all its operations according to the book, and its heightened attention to safety and security since the event made further references to the incident unnecessary.
The truth …
