That’s a great example of a safety practice that nets out unsafe: better to ask why the altimeter requires setting and the plane can be started without it!
Thanks for the reminder, three investigations. It’s been awhile and FNAEB was always a terrifying word that imprinted on my brain. Accepting responsibility was definitely a key part of Naval aviation.
The Safety Investigation Board is separate, and privileged.
FNAEB investigates the crew, and usually follows a Class A mishap ($2m damage or hull loss, or death/permanent disabling injury) but can be triggered by near-miss or pilot flathatting etc.
A friend is a retired Naval aviator, said the #1 reason aviators get permanently grounded from the fleet, is refusal to accept responsibility for mistakes that they were clearly responsible for. Things like forgetting to set the altimeter correctly before takeoff, causing a serious near-miss or pilot deviation. Honestly and fully admitting their mistakes, is more likely to result in a FNAEB returning them to the fleet. Asoh Defense comes to mind.[0]
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Airlines_Flight_2#The_%2...