Hersman Reiterates 25 Recommendations Made To FAA Following The Accident

NTSB Chairman Deborah A. P. Hersman (pictured, left) and FAA Associate Administrator Peggy Gilligan testified in the U.S. Senate today about the status of aviation safety a year after the crash of Continental Flight 3407 near Buffalo, New York on February 12, 2009.  

The flight was operated by Colgan Air. The crash resulted in 50 fatalities, including all of the passengers, the flight crew, and one person on the ground.

The NTSB issued its final report on the investigation of the accident following a public board meeting on February 2.  Chairman Hersman provided a summary of the investigation that led to the Board's final report and a determination that the probable cause of the accident was the captain's
inappropriate response to an aerodynamic stall from which the airplane did not recover.

At the hearing before the Subcommittee on Aviation of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Hersman noted that the Safety Board's final report makes 25 new recommendations to the FAA and reiterates 3 previously issued recommendations.  The recommendations cover a wide range of safety issues that were factors in this accident, including pilot training and fatigue. Just last week, the NTSB updated its 2010 Most Wanted List of Transportation Safety Issues to better emphasize these 2 safety concerns, Hersman noted.

"If we are serious about aviation safety, we must establish a system that minimizes pilot fatigue and ensures that flight crews report to work rested and fit for duty," said Chairman Hersman. "We must also have a system in which we are steadfastly confident that all of our commercial pilots
are proficient and well-trained."

Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Byron Dorgan (D-ND) said regional carriers need to be held to the same standards as the legacy airlines. "...(W)we need to make certain that the pilots of regional airlines have the training, rest, and experience required to operate as safely as the major airlines," he said. "It has become clear to me over the past year that Congress and the industry need to take major steps to ensure there is one level of safety throughout the entire commercial aviation industry. The Aviation Subcommittee’s work over the past year has raised significant concerns with regard to the adequacy of pilot training, flight crew fatigue, pilot compensation, and commuting practices in the industry.”

Speaking for the FAA, Peggy Gilligan (pictured, above), Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety, Federal Aviation Administration, said the recently-released "Call to Action" is just a beginning for the agency. "We believe that the collective efforts of FAA, the airlines, labor unions and, of course, Congress, will continue to result in implementing best practices, transferring pilot experience, and achieving an overall improvement in safety. Safety is at the core of the FAA’s mission, and we will always strive to make a safe system safer.”

FMI: http://commerce.senate.gov, www.ntsb.gov, www.faa.gov