Charges Airline Operated 17 Flights Outside Crew Rest Parameters

The FAA is seeking a civil penalty of $153,000 alleging that Colgan Air, Inc. operated 17 flights without giving pilots or flight attendants the required minimum amount of rest.

The FAA alleges that between June 14, 2008 and Feb. 23, 2009, Colgan scheduled flight duty time for two captains, two first officers and six flight attendants on a seventh day after they had been on duty for the previous six consecutive days. FAA regulations required the airline to relieve each crewmember from duty for at least 24 consecutive hours during any seven consecutive calendar days. One of the captains operated four flights without adequate rest. Each of the other flight crew members operated one flight without meeting this rest requirement.
 
The FAA also alleges that Colgan failed to give three flight attendants a required scheduled rest period of at least eight consecutive hours after scheduling them on flights after their previous duty period. Two of the incidents took place on June 15, 2008 and the third took place on Sept. 16, 2008.
 
Finally, the FAA alleges that Colgan scheduled a first officer for flight time on Nov. 7, 2008 when the pilot’s total flight time in commercial flying exceeded eight hours between required rest periods.
 
This civil penalty involves alleged violations predating the FAA’s new pilot flight, duty and rest rules that were announced in December 2011. The new regulations will go into effect in December 2013.
 
Colgan Air has 30 days from the receipt of the civil penalty letter to respond.

FMI: www.faa.gov