Fri, Oct 28, 2011
Questions Missing E-Mails Concerning Colgan 3407 Pilot's
Qualifications During NTSB Investigation
U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) has sent a personal
letter to the chair of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on
Aviation, Maria Cantwell (D-WA), asking for a hearing to evaluate
progress implementing aviation safety reforms. He also asks that
the hearing examine the implications of newly released emails that
were not available during the initial crash investigation.
Senator Schumer
The letter was also sent to full committee chair Jay Rockefeller
(D-WV).
Schumer’s call comes after Colgan Air released an email as
part of legal proceedings relating to the crash that showed that
the company lacked confidence in the skills of the pilot in command
of Continental flight 3407. Schumer, and the families of the
victims of the crash, expressed dismay at the fact that the emails
were not provided to the NTSB during the course of their
investigation of the crash. In light of this fact, Schumer is
calling for Senate hearings on oversight of aviation safety rules
to include a review of the investigation process to determine if
that process can be improved or the NTSB needed additional
authorities to carry out their work.
“In the years and months following the crash, the NTSB has
worked tirelessly to get to the bottom of the crash and its
causes,” said Schumer. “However, the fact that relevant
emails were not shared with investigators compels us to take a
closer look at how we investigate crashed to make sure NTSB has the
best information possible when making critical safety
recommendations. I hope that my good friend Senator Cantwell will
hold hearings so that we can truly uncover every last stone, and
see if there are more lessons to be learned that could lead to
safer skies.”
Emails revealed in litigation over the crash show that Colgan
Air had concerns that the pilot at the controls when Flight 3407
crashed was not properly trained to fly the plane that crashed. The
fact that the emails were revealed in a court case, and not turned
over to the NTSB during their investigation raises questions about
the process through which information is provided to the NTSB and
if there are ways to improve upon the investigation process. During
the NTSB’s investigation into the crash suggests that other
details and key information could have slipped through the cracks
and not received adequate attention during the federal
investigation. In light of this revelation, Schumer is asking his
colleague, Senator Cantwell, to hold hearings to review
implementation of aviation safety legislation and to specifically
examine the investigative process to make sure federal
investigators have the tools and authorities they need to carry out
their responsibilities.
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