As a past construction safety review board member and an R/C pilot allow me to point out to you that safety does not end with a set of written rules nor is blame washed away because someone causes damage, injury or death do to an act of stupidity not on a warning label or check-off list. Anytime someone creates or ignores a situation where common sense, good judgment and normal intelligence tells them the situation is a safety hazard and their actions result in damage, injury or death then they are responsible whether or not there is a rule printed somewhere against it. A safe flyers and flying fields depends on those enjoying the hobby to think and apply common sense in their activities. Even my states driving rule book says that any rule or right is void if the clear result will be an accident. Safety is an attitude and a way of thinking, not a set of written rules. So no, Mr Raven, at the end of the day blame is not always washed away when no clear violation of any written rules takes place. Nor does it mean that the person with the plane destroyed by the unsafe activity of another person that is not in the rulebook should not have the right to pursue reimbursement, if they choose to. I will agree that it is often not worthwhile perusing compensation when another destroys your plane, if no bodily injury has occurred, however allowing the perpetrator to skate on accepting the blame for his/her unsafe actions because it is not in the rule book leads to more accidents, not fewer.
Bob Ruth AMA 720565