HTN: FAA Reviewing Pilot Rules

In the wake of the crash of Flight 3407, the FAA is fast-tracking the review of pilot fatigue rules. The Administration will set up a committee by July 15th to begin the effort to revise the rules governing airline pilots. Recommendations will be made by September first. The FAA is also calling on airlines to review all of a pilot's test records before hiring them. The NTSB says the pilot at the helm of the doomed flight had failed previous test flights and the co-pilot may have been fatigued.

HTN: FAA Fights Pilot Fatigue

The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered airlines and pilot unions to come to a consensus by September 1st on how to limit pilot fatigue. The command came after the National Transportation Safety Board suspected pilot fatigue in February's fatal crash of Continental Express Flight 3407 in Buffalo and other recent accidents. The board concluded both pilots in the Buffalo crash did not have enough sleep before climbing into the cockpit.

HTN: Half of Buffalo Flights are Commuter Planes

A new report out of Washington shows thaat regional airlines now account for nearly half of the flights from Buffalo to destinations across the U.S., as well as local routes to major airports like LaGuardia and Reagan National. The report, which concentrated on data from mid-July 2008, showed 46-percent of planes were flown by regional carriers, despite the Continental, Delta, US Airways or United stamped on the ticket. Also, many of the planes being flown along those routes are no longer big jets, but small regional jets and propeller planes, such as the Bombardier Dash 8 Q400, the type of plane used in the Colgan Air-operated Continental Connection flight 3407 between Newark and Buffalo which killed 50 people. Colgan also operates US Airways' Buffalo to Albany route.

HTN: FAA to Probe Regional Airlines

The FAA will examine pilot training at small regional airlines in the wake of the Flight 3407 crash. The agency announced yesterday it would immediately order inspectors to look at pilot training programs. FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt says the entire industry, from large commercial carriers to small regional operators needs to meet safety standards.

Hometown News: Flight 3407 Hearings Conclude

The National Transportation Safety Board has concluded its three-day public hearings on Flight 3407. Yesterday, the panel heard from a NASA research scientist who studies pilot distractions. Doctor Robert Key Dismukes told the panel the warning stick shaker may have been too late for the pilots to react to an impending stall. Panel members questioned whether a warning system should be installed to alert the crew of falling airspeed. One panel member suggested that the pilot and co-pilot seemed surprised and discombobulated when the stick shaker activated. The NTSB says the co-pilot raised the plane's flaps which was the wrong thing to do, while the pilot tilted the nose upwards instead of down. The panel is trying to figure out why the crew took those actions, and suggested that better training may be needed for pilots to react correctly when under stress.

Reason with Scott Leffler

Scott's back, including a discussion on the Flight 3407 hearings.

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.

Hometown News: Flight 3407 Hearings

The NTSB's hearing into the crash of Flight 3407 continue today. John Krausner, whose daughter Eli [[ Ellie ]] was killed in the crash, was at the hearings and feels the pilots are being wrongfully blamed for the crash. He says the airline should share the blame.

Stall warnings sounded when the plane's landing gear and flaps were extended. The safety board said the plane automatically dipped to gain speed, and Renslow wrongly fought it by pushing the nose up. The plane pitched wildly, and the last sounds on the recorder were the sounds of Shaw screaming.

Hometown News: Flight 3407 Hearings Begin

The National Transportation Safety Board begins three days of public hearings today on the crash of Flight 3407. This week's NTSB hearings are expected to turn a critical eye on Colgan Air, which operated the Continental plane, and on the pilot, Captain Marvin Renslow. Since the crash, there have been allegations that fatigue may have impaired the captain's judgement. There have also been reports that Renslow was not properly trained to use the emergency equipment that was designed to keep the airplane from stalling. A spokesman for Colgan Air released a statement ahead of today's hearing saying Captain Renslow was fully qualified to pilot the Bombardier Q400 commuter plane and that he had been given more than enough time off to rest before he reported to work on the day of the crash.

HTN: Flight 3407 Briefings Loom

We could know more about what happened aboard Flight 3407 which crashed in Clarence and killed 50 people. The National Transportation Board begins three days of public hearings tomorrow in Washington DC. The board will hear testimony from Colgan Air, which operated the doomed flight for Continental as well as from the plane's manufacturer. Additional audio from the cockpit voice recorder will be released as well. So far officials say a combination of weather and pilot error are the leading factors. However, many questions still remain such as if the pilot had enough training on the aircraft, and if he too tired to be behind the controls. A final report is still months away.

Hometown News: 3407 Probe Speeds Up

A Federal Aviation Administration probe is focusing on pilots scheduling, as part of the investigation of Flight 3407. The FAA is trying to determine if Colgan Air violated federal regulations by over-scheduling its pilots. A parallel National Transportation Safety Board investigation is scrutinizing Colgan's pilot training program, especially related to how the plane's stall-protection system operates during icy conditions. The NTSB will be holding a three-day hearing in Clarence Center on those findings next week.

HTN: Two Widows Visit Crash Site

Wives of two victims of Flight 3407 visited the crash site for the first time yesterday. The two women took some stones from the ground nearby as mementoes of their husbands' last moments. The National Transportation Safety Board will be holding hearings next month about the accident.

HTN: 3407 Memorial Update

Yesterday, 85 volunteers faced the weather to help collect money for a Flight 3407 memorial in Clarence Center. The Clarence Center Chamber of Commerce and the Clarence Rotary Foundation have established a fund at the Bank of Akron in the village. Location and design of a permanent have yet to be decided. Anyone who wishes to donate may contact the Clarence Elementary School.

HTN: Flight 3407 Families can be Contacted Now

The 45-day federal ban preventing attorneys from calling or sending information to the families of Flight 3407 victims has expired.The end of the ban is not a deadline for families to choose an attorney. The victims' families have always had the right to contact attorneys before the ban was lifted. A federal law enacted in the mid-1990s prevents lawyers from encroaching on families' privacy during vulnerable times.

Hometown News: Flight 3407 Update

Casual cockpit conversation is one of the factors the National Transportation Safety Board is looking into as a possible factor in the crash of Flight 3407. . Federal Aviation Administration requirements bar pilots from discussing anything other than the flight during critical points. A hearing is scheduled for May 12th through 14th in Washington, DC, where one of the discussion topics will be the so-called "sterile cockpit rules."

Hometown News: Flight 3407 Update

Federal investigators are beginning to discredit the theory that an ice buildup on the wings brought down Flight 3407. The National Transportation Safety Board issued an update on its probe into the deadly crash. The NTSB reports the flight may have been brought down after experiencing a stall, in which snow and light to moderate icing would not have been a factor. The NTSB is now checking into the training background of the flight crew, raising the possibility of pilot error.

Colgan Air says it welcomes Wednesday's update on the investigation. Colgan officials point to the fact that the report provides no definite conclusion, and says that the company is cooperating thoroughly. Colgan says it stands by what it calls its "FAA-certified crew training programs" which it says "meet or exceed the regulatory requirements for all major airlines and include training on emergency situations."

The NTSB will hold a public hearing as part of its continuing investigation .

Good Morning Buffalo: Flight 3407 Song

Christina Abt talks about her project: Love Knows No Boundaries.

Good Morning Buffalo: Flight 3407

Loraine and Tom talk to WECK Legal Correspondent Jeff Santoro about the aftermath of the crash.

HTN: Flight 3407 Song

A new song has been created by a group of Western New Yorkers in memory of those lost in the Crash of Flight 3407. "Love Knows No Boundaries," will debut at the Eastern Hills Wesleyan Church next Thursday, March 19th at 7 p.m. The song was written, recorded and will be distributed by a volunteer group, including WECK's own Christina Abt. The song will go on sale shortly after its release. All proceeds benefit a Flight 3407 memorial fund.

Flight 3407: New Fund for Families

There's a new fund for families affected by Flight 3407 crash. United Way of Buffalo & Erie County and the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo have created the fund with a number of area banks. Donations can be made through March 17th at any participating bank. Checks can be made payable to the United Way of Buffalo & Erie County with "Flight 3407 Fund" on the "memo" line.