I wasn’t sure that the mob-rule hounding down of the Captain of the Costa Concordia was quite right. We don’t know the facts yet and I would prefer to get some before he is hung out to dry.

He was being compared on the Radio to the hero Captain, Chesley Sullenberger, who steered his failing plane into the freezing Hudson River then made sure everyone was clear of the plane before getting off himself. When I learned to fly, there was much emphasis on your responsibilities to others!

I am not sure that the Captain of a ship has to stay until the last man is free – I think this may be a rather romantic myth. It might not be possible for him to be the last man – some of these cruise ships are vast beasts. He may have no concept of where he is in relation to others. I’m not saying he was right, rather the we don’t know the facts.

But I was also thinking about the story I read about in Malcolm Gladwells’ Tipping Point. He was reflecting on why Korean Air had such a poor safety record. No one could understand it, they were using western planes which were generally ok elsewhere in the world. Then there was a realisation that there was a very much a hierarchy in the Korean Airlines where the Captain was seen as God-like. He was on a pedestal to the extent that no one dare question him. So, as problems arose, everyone assumed he was in control. Even if the plane was about to crash…

You do have to wonder that as our machines get more complex and bigger whether it is right for one person to have absolute control? Sometimes perhaps the buck needs to stop with more than one person?