Originally Posted by
OverThereTooMuch
Plenty of other threads for this type of speculation (which is in poor taste, though I'm not at all surprised).
This isn't speculation by any means, it's a general question posed by the OP
To get back to the OP's question, I assume that there are certain cases where pilot error can lead to criminal charges but for that to be the case there would have to be gross negligence on the part of the pilot. The same would also apply if they were found to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Obviously it's too early to know what caused Asiana 214 to crash, but I'll await the outcome of the NTSB investigation with interest.
Out of interest, does anyone know if the pilots are protected by law/unions if they make a mistake that causes an accident?