SCHUMER JOINS FAMILIES OF CONTINENTAL FLIGHT 3407 IN CALL TO FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION TO NOT WEAKEN STRICT COMMERCIAL AIRLINE PILOT QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS – SENATOR CALLS ON FAA TO MAKE NEW FED AVIATION RULEMAKING COMMITTEE MORE TRANSPARENT & BALANCED
Following Tragic 2009 Plane Crash That Claimed Lives of 50 People, Including
Many WNYers, Schumer & Families of Flight 3407 Fought to Pass Legislation
Requiring Pilots Log 1,500 Flight Hours In Order To Receive Airline Transport
Pilot Certificate
Now, FAA Has Reconvened Rulemaking Committee & May Be Exploring Weakening
Regulations –Schumer Calls on FAA To Make Proceedings More Open
& Not Scale Back Safety Rules
Schumer: FAA Should Immediately Ground Any Effort to Scale Back Critical
Safety Rules
Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced that he is joining the Families of Continental Flight 3407 in their push to keep commercial airline pilot qualifications strict in light of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) decision to reconvene its Air Carrier Training Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC). Schumer said that this new committee, which may be considering weakening some of the key regulations that went into place following the crash of Flight 3407 in 2009, should be transparent and should not roll back important safety standards. Schumer said any push to weaken key regulations, such as the requirement that pilots log 1,500 flight hours before manning the cockpit of a commercial plane, is unacceptable; and he urged the committee to resist any movement to scale back safety regulations.
“After all of the hard work that went into passing new airline safety regulations in the wake of crash of Flight 3407, it is unacceptable that the FAA would even consider scaling back these regulations in any way,” said Schumer. “If the deliberations of this newly reconvened safety committee are not open to the public, and is primarily made of representatives from the airline industry, I am afraid that this is exactly what will happen. I have said from day one I would fight aggressively against any effort to scale back these important safety reforms, which the 3407 families fought so hard to pass into law. This committee must resist any effort to weaken federal regulations protecting passenger safety, open its meeting to the public, and allow representatives who may disagree with weakening federal standards on the panel so that voices other than those in the airline industry can be heard.”
"With all the progress that has been made since the tragedy of Flight 3407 in raising the level of safety of our nation's regional airlines, it is imperative that we continue to hold the airlines accountable to meeting these higher standards as opposed to looking for loopholes and other means to weaken their impact," stated John Kausner of Clarence Center, NY, who lost his twenty four year old daughter Elly. "No matter how many years pass, our group is one hundred percent resolved to remaining vigilant on these critical safety issues, and we appreciate Senator Schumer's unwavering support in dealing with both FAA and the airlines."
The newly reconvened ARC meetings are closed-door and, therefore, the public has no idea what kinds of actions the committee may be considering. In addition, there has been a long-standing concern that the airline industry might try to scale back the safety reforms passed into law as part of the Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Act. Schumer raised concern that even the appearance of an effort to scale the rules back would send exactly the wrong message to the industry and to the safety advocates.
Schumer said that the February 2009 crash of Continental Flight 3407 near Buffalo, New York claimed 50 lives and alerted the nation to the shortfalls in our aviation safety system, particularly at the regional airline level. In the wake of the tragedy, and with the help of the families who lost loved ones in the crash, Schumer worked with his colleagues in Congress to pass the Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act. This legislation established a number of mechanisms for increasing aviation safety, including a mandate that first-time officers hold an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate, which requires that the pilot log 1,500 flight hours. Schumer explained that this rule helps ensure our nation’s pilots have a strong set of skills and degree of knowledge before getting into the cockpit of a commercial plane. There are already several exceptions to this 1,500 hour rule, but some in the industry would like to water down these rules even further to make it easier to hire pilots. Schumer said that under no circumstances should we weaken the standards surrounding pilot qualifications.
Schumer has long worked with the families of the victims in the Continental Flight 3407 crash to significantly improve air travel safety in the wake of a crash investigation which determined that shockingly limited flying experience is required to be a co-pilot for a regional carrier. Continental Flight 3407 was flown by a regional carrier, Colgan Air, which is no longer in existence. The crash was caused in part due to a dramatic loss of airspeed and a lack of effective reaction to aerodynamic stall. From the earliest days after the crash, Schumer and the families of the victims worked on legislation to close the gaps in airline safety that allowed this tragedy to occur and create one level of safety for all segments of the industry. Their efforts culminated in the passage of the Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Extension Act in the summer of 2010, which mandates new safety standards including increased training for pilots and stricter flight and duty time regulations to combat pilot fatigue. This law also requires that online vendors of airline tickets disclose, at first viewing, if the flight is operated by a regional carrier instead of a major carrier.
A copy of Senator Schumer’s letter to the FAA appears below:
Dear Administrator Huerta:
I write to express my concern about the reconvened Air Carrier Training Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) that has been charged with reviewing FAA’s recently established first officer qualification requirements.
The February 2009 crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407 near Buffalo, New York claimed fifty lives and alerted the nation to the shortfalls in our aviation safety system, particularly at the regional airline level. In the wake of the tragedy, and with the help of the families who lost loved ones in the crash, my colleagues in Congress and I helped to pass the Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act, which established a number of mechanisms for increasing aviation safety. One key piece of the legislation was a mandate that first officers hold an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate, which requires that the pilot log 1,500 flight hours. This rule ensures that our nation’s pilots will have a strong set of skills and degree of knowledge before they get into the cockpit of a commercial plane. There are already several exceptions to this 1,500 hour rule, but some in the industry would like to water down these rules even further.
I am very concerned that this ARC may slow down and even reverse some of the progress that has been made on behalf of passenger safety. Since these meetings are closed-door, we have no idea what kinds of actions the committee may be considering. But we do know that this fifteen-member committee includes a number of representatives from the airline industry.
I urge you to reconsider the makeup of this ARC, and to ensure that representatives from safety and consumer groups are included on this committee. There are those who wish to weaken the standards surrounding pilot qualifications, and we simply cannot afford for that to happen. I know you share my concern for aviation safety, and I look forward to working with you to maintain and strengthen these standards.
Sincerely,
Charles E. Schumer
United States Senator