Buffalo, New York- May 29, 2009- On the heels of the House of Representatives’ amendment to the FAA Reauthorization Bill calling for a comprehensive review of airline carriers’ training policies and procedures, the ‘Families of Continental Flight 3407’ applauded the Senate Aviation subcommittee’s announcement of two hearings on Aviation Safety to be held in June.
The House amendment, co-sponsored by the Western New York congressional delegation of Representatives Chris Lee, Louise Slaughter, and Brian Higgins, passed by a voice vote last Thursday and will seek answers to many of the training-related issues dealing with the crash of Continental Flight 3407 operated by Colgan Air on February 12th, 2009 taking the lives of all forty nine people on board and one person on the ground.
Meanwhile, the Senate Aviation subcommittee, chaired by Senator Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, will be holding two hearings to examine the underlying safety issues revealed at the NTSB safety hearings held two weeks ago.
“Our family group is committed to ensuring that every flight has the best-prepared crew of pilots possible, and are very appreciative of the leadership of Representatives Lee, Slaughter, and Higgins in getting the ball rolling in regards to pilot training,” stated John Kausner of Clarence, who lost his twenty-four year old daughter Elly. “I was also very impressed with the passion and commitment of Senator Dorgan, not only to take a hard look at the aviation industry’s safety practices, but more importantly to legislate solutions.” The hearings will be held in 253 Russell Senate Office Building, at 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 10th, and at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 17th. The subcommittee’s findings are expected to be incorporated into the Senate’s version of the FAA Reauthorization Bill.
# # # #
The ‘Families of Continental Flight 3407’ group was immediately organized after the crash as a support network and an activist group to work on aviation safety reform. Visit the group’s website at www.3407memorial.com to learn more about their efforts.