With the investigation into last February's crash of Continental Airlines Flight 3407 in Clarence Center now complete the focus shifts to prevention. The National Transportation Safety Board's report blamed pilot error for the crash that killed all 49 people on board and one on the ground. In an effort to prevent a disaster like this from happening again the NTSB is offering 25 safety recommendations as a result of this crash investigation. The investigation is also spurring the NTSB to hold public hearings later this year on two specific topics -- pilot professionalism, and the relationship between major air carriers and the commuter airlines that actually fly many of their routes.
It's common to fly in or out of Buffalo on a commuter airline and many travelers might not even know it because the commuter airlines often operate under the major airline names. "Fifty percent of our people are flying these regional airlines," says Sharon Green, who lost her husband Bradley in the crash, "I don't think the public knows that so many people are on these regional airlines and the standards need to be raised."
The NTSB will hold the public forum on commuter airlines later this year. That will follow a separate public session this spring to discuss pilot professionalism. That's a subject that also came up during the nearly year-long Flight 3407 crash investigation when it was revealed that the cockpit crew may not have been well-rested before the flight, and they broke sterile cockpit rules during their approach to Buffalo by talking about things other than landing the plane. "Because of their conversation the flight crew members squandered their time and attention which were limited resources," says Robert Sumwalt, NTSB Member.
Flight 3407 Captain Marvin Renslow's history of failed flight tests also factors into the NTSB's list of recommendations. "How for example do we take pilots out of the lineup who should not be in the lineup even if they can pass the test after the 13th try," says Christopher Hart, NTSB Vice Chairman.
The board is calling for additional oversight and remedial training for pilots who've fallen short on tests. "You trust the best people are in the cockpit. I don't think any one of us thought differently until now," says Sharon Green.
Other recommendations call for stall training for specific aircraft. The investigation shows actions taken by Flight 3407's captain were in keeping with training for a tailplane stall correction rather than for an aerodynamic stall even though the type of plane he was flying is not susceptible to tailplane stalls.
The NTSB is recommending audio warning systems in cockpits to alert pilots of low air speed. These would be in addition to the visual cues pilots already get. Plus, the NTSB is asking for more pilot training in dealing with stalls as well as when to disengage autopilot. Similar recommendations have come out of previous crash investigations but they've never been implemented. Families of crash victims are pushing for this time to be different.
"I'm very happy that they've gotten their voice heard and the people in the Congress and the F.A.A. and so forth are listening. They've got a lot of good points," says Former NTSB Investigator Steve Chealander. Congressional leaders from Western New York say they'll push for legislation to force the F.A.A to enact changes if the F.A.A. fails to act on their own.
Click the following link to read more about the NTSB findings and recommendations: http://www.ntsb.gov/Publictn/2010/AAR1001.htm
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