As a pilot, I'm always keen to watch every new aviation documentary. Unfortunately, they often disappoint me-most of the time due to a lack of professionalism and, I assume, proper aviation consultants, especially when it comes to correct phraseology. This series, however, was the biggest disappointment I've ever experienced. And that wasn't because of some minor mistakes, but because of a blatant disregard for facts.
A simple aviation accident caused by human error. Of course with long list of contributing factors, as it always is, but still, simple accident. For the victims' families, it is a great tragedy, but a documentary shouldn't be biased by the emotions of people who, respectfully, are not aviation experts. Objectivity should be the main goal, not the presentation of unsubstantiated theories made by outraged individuals who have lost loved ones. Of course, it's important to show the human tragedy of the accident, but in documentary it shouldn't affect objective judgment.
Three aviation experts, including a TAM captain, were the only ones who sounded reasonable and stuck to the facts, avoiding unsupported allegations. It is truly disappointing that their professional opinions were not the foundation of this series. Instead, Netflix chose to create a clickable, sensationalist series full of unsubstantiated claims and unprofessional commentary.
I strongly encourage everyone to watch Mentour Pilot's episode on this tragedy. It is unbiased, fact-based, and overall well-made (with a small fraction of Netflix's budget).
