Hometown News: last day of 3407 Hearings

The National Transportation Safety Board is holding its final day of hearings on the crash of Flight 3407. The day began with experts answering questions about distractions in the cockpit and the effects of fatigue. After lunch, the three-day session will conclude with FAA officials answering questions about regulatory policies.

The probe has turned a critical eye on the hiring practices of Colgan Air, which operated the Continental Airlines flight. Yesterday, Colgan executives revealed copilot Rebecca Shaw made a meager 16-thousand dollars a year. Earlier, a transcript of the flight's cockpit voice recorder showed pilot Marvin Renslow was hired with only 625 hours of flying time. The company increased the minimum flight hour requirement to one-thousand hours after the crash.

Colgan executives got an earful from frustrated victims. Family members moaned and gasped as Colgan's vice-president Mary Finnigan told the National Transportation Safety Board about the airline's commitment to safety.