Curtis Wray writes:

"Lancair IS responsible, to one degree or another, for the safety of the aircraft they design."

OK Curtis, who then is responsible for the safety of a stick of dynamite? or a hand grenade? If you pick up a gun and I tell you that it is loaded and, if you put it to your head and pull the trigger you will die and you do put it to your head and pull the trigger am I in any way responsible?

Back when I could tolerate having employees, I used to ask potential employment candidates the following: You (the candidate) take an egg and place it in the middle of a busy road. A car runs over the egg. Who is responsible for the destruction of the egg, you or the driver of the car? I would only hire those that accepted the responsibility for the destruction of the egg as it was reasonable for them to anticipate the eggs fate.

Has Lancair, in any way, misrepresented their products? Has ANYONE told you that the IV stalls like a C172 or that you can fly through a thunderstorm or icing with no problem, or the plane will fly for another 100 miles after it has run out of fuel, or that all that maintenance stuff is not needed, or it is OK to use aluminum oil fittings on turbo hot sections? People have died while acting as if they believed one or more of these things.

Lancair is only responsible to the extent that they gave you the opportunity to put yourself in harms way. Would you blame your parents for giving you life?

From a safe pilot's perspective, your statement quoted above is completely wrong thinking and unsafe. As part of your recovery I would recommend that you repeat the phrase "As pilot in command I have the sole responsibility for the safe operation of my aircraft." followed by the Naval Aviators' saying "Everyone is trying to kill me." until you truly believe both of them.

Should you fail to accept this responsibility and, say, allow a controller to vector you into a thunderstorm, your surviving family members may be able to convince a jury of non aviators that Lancair is somehow responsible for your stupidity, but it won't do YOU a damn bit of good.

Regards
Brent Regan