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.

FMI: http://schumer.senate.gov