On The Record As Critical Of Colgan Pilot Performance A Year Before The Buffalo Accident

Colgan Air is asking a judge to block the testimony of a now-retired FAA inspector who went on the record criticizing the performance of  Colgan Air's pilots a year before one of its planes went down in Buffalo, NY.

Christopher Monteleon had been called to be deposed in the case by attorneys for the families of those fatally injured when the plane went down February 12th, 2009. As an FAA inspector in 2008, Monteleon had complained to his supervisors about the performance of Colgan's pilots while training to fly the then-new Q400 turboprop airplanes, according to the Buffalo News. Court documents indicate that Monteleon said that the pilots were not well trained, were "too tired to fly," and that Colgan had cut corners on safety to get the new airplanes flying.

But he also says that the FAA largely ignored his complaints, and that his supervisors were "cozy" with the airline. He said that his whistle-blowing efforts got him reassigned to a different job.

In a statement reported by the paper, Pinnacle, the parent company of Colgan Air, said that Monteleon's testimony would be irrelevant, as he had little personal knowledge of the facts relating to Flight 3407. Pinnacle said that his allegations had been reviewed by several federal agencies, and that none had found them to be relevant to case. "Indeed, it appears that plaintiffs seek Mr. Monteleon's deposition, not for factual information related to the alleged cause of their injuries, but rather solely for its inflammatory nature," Pinnacle said in its filing.

Hugh M. Russ III, an attorney representing several of the the families in the suit says that Monteleon can provide information that will influence punitive damages that may be awarded by the jury. He said that the airlines overall operations and procedures is germane to the accident, and could hasten the eventual resolution of the case.

Colgan is also reportedly attempting to block testimony from airline consultant Nicholas Sabatini, whom it had hired following the accident.

FMI: www.faa.gov, www.flypinnacle.com