Crash in Clarence will lead to revised flight crew rules
Published: June 16, 2009, 7:55 am
Story tools:
Share this story:
WASHINGTON — The Federal Aviation Administration will seek to modernize rules governing when and how much pilots can fly after the Feb. 12 crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407 in Clarence raised concerns that the crew might have been fatigued.
Randy Babbitt, the new FAA administrator, announced his commitment to new antifatigue rules Monday as regional airline executives gathered with federal officials for a “call to action” on flight safety.
“The bottom line is, I’m going to want a new rule,” Babbitt said, noting that current “flight time/duty time” rules for pilots are decades old. “We are going to get a new rule.”
The National Transportation Safety Board has been calling for such tougher rules governing pilot fatigue for 19 years.
In addition, Babbitt told reporters that the FAA will ask airlines to seek the flying records of their pilot candidates — and will publicize the names of airlines that don’t comply.
Monday’s meeting at the FAA was aimed at developing voluntary action that would help improve regional airline safety long before the National Transportation Safety Board releases its report early next year on the Clarence crash, which claimed 50 lives.
“We can’t afford to wait,” Babbitt said. “We can do things today.”
But the scope of the discussions went well beyond voluntary measures, said federal officials who participated. Mandatory new rules and legislation also are likely, they said.
Most notably, Babbitt committed to revising the flight time/duty time rules. The agency last tried to do that in 1995 but fell just short of reaching an agreement.
Since then, extensive research on fatigue has taken into account circadian rhythms and how they affect on-the- job performance, Babbitt said. Any new rules would have to be based on that research, he added.
Pilot fatigue has been suggested as a potential factor in the crash of Flight 3407 because the pilot had spent the previous night in a pilots’ lounge at Newark International Airport, while the co-pilot spent that night on connecting red-eye flights from Seattle to Newark.
In addition to seeking new fatigue rules, Babbitt said the FAA will launch a series of “bright light voluntary” safety measures.
In other words, the airlines will have to comply — or else see their name advertised in bright lights.
The FAA will direct airlines to seek the flight records of prospective pilots, which will require them to ask job candidates to sign a privacy waiver. By October, airlines that refuse to do that will be publicized, Babbitt said.
Colgan Air, the Continental subcontractor that operated Flight 3407, did not seek the FAA flight records of the flight’s captain, Marvin Renslow. As a result, Colgan knew about only one of the three test flights that Renslow had failed before it hired him.
Congressional action amending the law protecting the privacy of pilot records also might be necessary to help ensure that airlines hire the best candidates, Babbitt added.
In addition, the FAA will ask all regional airlines to comply with the voluntary Flight Operational Quality Assurance and Aviation Safety Action programs for reporting safety issues and collecting aviation data.
The FAA also agreed to review the pilot training programs at all regional airlines. While major airlines and the regionals have to meet the same training standards, Babbitt said some training programs are better than others.
When asked whether the big carriers and the commuter airlines have “one level of safety,” Babbitt said, “There’s one level of standards. The open question is: Do we have to improve the standards?”
Babbitt and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood met with reporters to discuss Monday’s meetings with more than 40 regional airline executives, union officials and other airline industry stakeholders.
“We had an overflow room of people very much interested in trying to find a way forward to make sure regional jets are safe, that pilots are well-trained and not only well-trained, but well-rested,” LaHood said.
The FAA will follow Monday’s session with additional meetings with regional airlines across the nation to hone the voluntary safety steps, the federal officials said.
The emphasis on voluntary measures to enhance safety has come under some criticism from the family members of those who died aboard Flight 3407.
“We cannot emphasize enough that our recent experience gives us little faith in the airlines’ ability to self-monitor or their willingness to comply with voluntary recommendations,” the families said in a letter to Babbitt that suggested legislation to boost aviation safety.
The Regional Airline Association stressed that it already has embarked on a “strategic safety initiative” that includes establishing a single pilot records database, studying the possibility of random fatigue testing, a close look at pilot commuting and other measures.
“Our members share your dedication to one safety standard to guide America’s aviation industry,” the airlines group said in a letter to Babbitt.
Federal officials stressed, though, that their emphasis on voluntary safety measures was just the first step in a much larger effort.
“You will see rules, and you will likely see in-depth discussions with Congress on legislation,” said Jill Zuckman, spokeswoman for LaHood.
jzremski@buffnews.com
Newsletters
Sign up now for daily and weekly newsletters from BuffaloNews.com and get quick links to the info you want delivered directly to your inbox.Reader comments
Log into MyBuffalo to post a comment
MyBuffalo is the new social network from Buffalo.com. Your MyBuffalo account lets you comment on and rate stories at buffalonews.com. You can also head over to mybuffalo.com to share your blog posts, stories, photos, and videos with the community. Join now or learn more.
Comments have been disabled.
Due to a high volume of submissions that violate The News’ guidelines, commenting is no longer available on this story. If you’d like to share your thoughts on this story, click here to get information on contributing to The News’ opinion pages.