This episode illustrates the need for effective use of human resources in the cockpit. In other words, it's important that the pilot and the first officer get along.
A Northwest Airlines commuter jet takes off from Minneapolis to International Falls at Christmas time. International Falls is at the very top of Minnesota and it's mid-winter. That's bad enough.
But then the airplane begins its rapid descent to the small airport at Hibbing to refuel. It slams into the runway, bursts into flame, and everyone on board is killed.
The NTSB investigates, using its regular ration of expertise. The guys are amazing. One by one, they eliminate possible contributory factors like weather, malfunctioning altimeters, engine failure, loss of control, and so forth. Nothing.
The cockpit voice recorder shows that the first officer, a young man with little experience, failed to call out the altitude during the descent. It's one of the first officer's responsibilities because the pilot has his hands full landing the aircraft.
But a systematic check of the first officer's record reveals no flaws. He had graduated first in his class, had done meticulous work in school, and his record was clean.
The pilot, on the other hand, was from New York City and was outspoken and cynical, unlike the Minnesotans among whom he lives. He had the disposition of a guy who'd just been informed that breakfast stopped serving at ten. But, more than that, his record showed a series of failures in the course of his flight checks. The trail of errors had gone undetected because they'd taken place at different locations and no one had connected the dots.
He was sadistic too. Berating not only his first officer but other airline personnel whom he had reason to blame for one thing or another. He'd actually struck a subordinate, and at times he deliberately flew the airplane in such a way that the passengers were flung around and frightened.
He was especially irritable on this flight because he'd just discovered the airline would require him to move from Minneapolis to a smaller outstation. So he took it out on his first officer, the way a troubled man might come home from work and kick the dog.
The first officer, whom he had just called "stupid", was paralyzed with fear and chose not to call out the altitude. It was a fatal mistake.