The decision to find Flight Lieutenant Dan Pezaro not guilty of wrongdoing in a helicopter crash north of Wellington which claimed three lives on Anzac Day 2010, was the right one, a University of Otago professor who gave evidence in the tribunal says.
Prof David O'Hare, of the department of psychology, said Fl Lt Pezaro's decision on the day was based on knowledge passed on by more senior pilots and a culture of risk-taking in his squadron.
While he understood the desire to find individuals responsible after tragedies such as the Anzac Day crash, it would have been ''counterproductive'' to pin the blame on Fl Lt Pezaro.
Had the military tribunal at the Ohakea air force base looked no further than Fl Lt Pezaro, the accident would likely be repeated, as the wider issues which led to the crash would stay unaddressed.
Instead, the air force needed to take a ''broader'' look at the chain of events which led up to the crash and the culture in Fl Lt Pezaro's squadron. This had already started with the squadron making changes soon after the crash and with the court of inquiry report which looked into the wider issues.
Ways the culture could be changed included encouraging people to report near misses and making sure risk management was more than just an afterthought.
These lessons had implications for other organisations that wanted to reduce the risk of workplace accidents, he said.
Fl Lt Pezaro is the son of retired Wanaka GP Dennis Pezaro, who told the Otago Daily Times this week the family was ''saddened'' by what had happened.
