He will make eventual recommendations to the Coast Guard's commanding officer in Alaska, Rear Admiral Thomas Ostebo, for the next course of action. Possibilities include dismissal of the charges, administrative action or court martial. Leone faces a ...

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Source: http://tdn.com/news/state-and-regional/washington/hearing-to-begin-over-fatal-coast-guard-crash/article_b1991453-30

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DLHAK : Dear Captain Andrew Norris, From my own experience as an Alaskan private pilot, I must express my distress over the prosecution of Lt. Leone. I know the accident occurred is WA, but the flight conditions have happened in Alaska. I personally know of a crash in the 70's at Delta Junction where a plane hit wires over a river. I would have to do research to give exact detail. First, is Alaskan Coast Guard Commanding Officer Rear Admiral Thomas Ostebo a pilot? How long has he lived in Alaska? How many areas of Alaska is he very familiar with e.g. knows flying conditions in every season of the year and weather patterns for example in the North Slope, Southeast Alaska, or the Aleutians. I poise the same questions for Capt. Lt. Leone Timothy Heisth. In our paper, His statement “nothing was verbalized” is ludicrous in an emergency like this. 40 seconds is a very short time, and unless you experience such a crash what could be said in 40 seconds. Lt. Leone’s emotional state was probably panic and fear of imminent death. (I have the credentials to state this because of my medical training. Please, reference my signature.) Second, it seems the USCG is culpable for this freak accident by not maintaining aides to navigation on the cable the helicopter crashed into. Why has the USCG not put markers on this cable? If Rear Admiral Thomas Ostebo were a pilot, how would he have performed in the exact situation? Has he ever survived a flight similar to this one? If possible, put him in a simulator recreate an analogous emergency, and evaluate his flying; the same Capt. Timothy Heisth. Third, how accurate is a civilian's observations? Can a person with no flying experience or knowledge be depended on for a definite report of height and airspeed? Fourth, why is it necessary to put Lt. Leone through one more investigation when one has been completed? Does this mean there was no validity to the 1st investigation? Is this an example of beneficial use of taxpayer dollars? Why is Lt. Leone’s word being questioned? I have lived in Alaska 41 years e.g. all regions except Kodiak, and the North Slope. My residency was, at least, one year in every location. Although I am only a private pilot, I have flown my plane in every region I lived in. I had emergencies where my evaluation needed to be several seconds, and correct choices made the difference between safety and an accident. Unless a pilot experiences such an emergency, decision making cannot be fairly judged. I have had great respect for the USCG, and worked for this service as a civilian, but prosecuting Lt. Leone is unjust. How many pilots have been in an emergency equivalent to the one Lt. Leone lived through? Why are findings in the initial investigation not adequate? Who was the exact person who began this second investigation? My opinion of USCG has plummeted. To me, this case illustrates monies wasted on military matters. Donna Hebbeler, DrPH, MPH, FNP 12 09 , 2011 | 03 : 56 Report Abuse J : RADM Ostebo is a Coast Guard aviator. He was assigned at Sitka in the same job as the two mishap pilots some years ago. He has been qualified in at least 5 different aircraft in the Coast Guard inventory, including the H-60, which is the incident aircraft type. Point being, he's more than qualified to evaluate the outcome of the hearing. So far as I am aware, RADM Ostebo holds the Distinguished Flying Cross, has a clean flying record and is not on trial. He also is not current in any aircraft, so putting him in a simulator where the outcome is predetermined would be to no constructive purpose. As a retired CG aviator myself, I find the entire incident distressing. I hope that justice will prevail. It is the prerogative of the District Commander to overrule the administrative investigation conducted at the unit level, and RADM Ostebo has exercised this prerogative. He's fully within his rights and authority to do so. It's what he's paid for. No matter what the outcome, the Coast Guard doesn't look good here. A Coast Guard aircraft struck Coast Guard wires, destroying that aircraft and killing three Coast Guardsmen. RADM Ostebo's duty has to be to look out for the best interests of the service at large, not for the interests of a single officer, no matter what that officer has been through. While I too initially believed LT Leone was being railroaded, I am no longer so sure. There is an agenda here, I just don't know what it is, and won't, until the conclusion of the hearing... if then. 12 09 , 2011 | 20 : 15 Report Abuse

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