Administrator

Recently-Released Study Falls Far Short of Meeting Congressional Intent

Buffalo, New York- December 12, 2011 – Facing a third Christmas without noted 9/11 widow and activist Beverly Eckert, her family made an impassioned plea to Obama administration, particularly Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and acting FAA Administrator Michael Huerta, to not overlook the commuting element of the well-publicized pilot fatigue issue. While the FAA’s proposal on new limits for pilots’ flight and duty times has been in the spotlight, it is not expected to include any requirements for airlines and pilots related to commuting, which was exposed as a potentially dangerous practice in the NTSB’s examination of the Flight 3407 crewmembers’ final days.

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October 1 Deadline Has Come and Gone; Proposal Would Address Stall and Upset Recognition and Recovery Deficiencies That Contributed to Crash

Buffalo, New York- December 8, 2011 – As yet another holiday season approaches without their father and husband, the family of passenger Kevin Johnston, the Director of Safety at Henkel Technologies-Americas, called upon the Obama administration, particularly Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and acting FAA Administrator Michael Huerta, to expeditiously complete an in-progress rule making that would significantly strengthen the pilot training curriculum for all commercial airlines. In particular, the rule in its proposed form would address critical NTSB safety recommendations in the wake of Flight 3407 that called for more robust training on stall and upset recognition and recovery, as well as for more aggressive remedial training programs for pilots who have struggled with proficiency checks.

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Regional Airline Pilots Scheduled to the Max; Desperately in Need of New Scheduling Limits

Buffalo, New York- December 7, 2011 – Facing a third Christmas season without twenty-four year old Ellyce Kausner, who had been a law student at Florida Coastal School of Law, her family issued a plea to the Obama administration, particularly Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and acting FAA Administrator Michael Huerta, to end two decades of government gridlock and issue a critical new rule to fight pilot fatigue prior to this Christmas. Their appeal comes as part of the Flight 3407 Families ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’ campaign, aimed at highlighting key elements of the family group’s push for ‘One Level of Safety’ for all passengers traveling on the nation’s regional airlines, which account for over half of all flights flown in the United States.

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Attempt to Counter Industry’s Lobbying Dollars and Pressure with Human Side of the Issue

Buffalo, New York- December 6, 2011 – In the wake of media reports that have cited assurances from Obama administration officials to New York congressional delegation members that critical new guidelines on pilot fatigue will be enacted prior to Christmas, the ‘Families of Continental Flight 3407’ have launched a holiday season outreach to highlight the loved ones they lost, as well as the numerous safety initiatives on the FAA’s docket.

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Call Out Airline Lobbyists Who Continue to Obstruct Process

Buffalo, New York- December 1, 2011 – As the Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration missed another deadline on issuing critical new pilot flight and duty time limits geared at addressing a decades-old problem of pilot fatigue, the ‘Families of Continental Flight 3407’ lashed out at the continued delay in the process.

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Echo Letter from Western New York Congressional Delegation to Justice Department

Buffalo, New York- October 31, 2011 – The ‘Families of Continental Flight 3407’ strongly endorsed a letter sent by the Western New York congressional delegation to Attorney General Eric Holder, asking for a Justice Department investigation of whether Colgan Air, who operated the fatal crash of Continental Connection Flight 3407, violated federal law. The letter comes on the heels of revelations that Colgan withheld relevant emails from NTSB investigators, as well as questions of whether Colgan officials misled investigators in their testimony.

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Calls on Congress to Investigate This Breach of Responsibility to the Flying Public

Buffalo, New York- October 25, 2011 – In the midst of an aviation safety crusade that has encompassed over forty trips to Washington to fight for stronger standards and oversight of regional airlines, the ‘Families of Continental Flight 3407’ lashed out at Colgan Air over the release of internal company email correspondence that once again brought the training credentials of Flight 3407’s pilot into question. Kevin Kuwik, who lost his thirty-year-old girlfriend Lorin Maurer in the crash, and is not party to any legal action against Colgan or Pinnacle, issued the following statement calling on Congress to investigate why Colgan was not completely forthcoming in initially providing this documentation to NTSB investigators over two-and-a-half years ago: (more…)

Call Out Another Industry Play for Behind-the-Scenes Influence on Administration on Pilot Fatigue and Other Safety Initiatives

Buffalo, New York- September 21, 2011 – As a critical pilot fatigue safety initiative flounders at the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the ‘Families of Continental Flight 3407’ lashed out at the Airline Transport Association’s (ATA) recent announcement that it had appointed Sean Kennedy, formerly White House Special Assistant to the President, to the position of Senior Vice President Global Government Affairs. (more…)

Colgan Lands at Wrong Airport and Receives FAA Fine for Training Shortcuts in Same Week

Buffalo, New York- September 16, 2011 – The ‘Families of Continental Flight 3407’ responded to news of two safety lapses at Colgan Air this week by reiterating the importance of stronger aviation safety guidelines, particularly for the nation’s regional carriers. In the space of one week, Colgan had a pilot land his plane at the wrong airport, and received notice of a proposed $1.9 million fine from the FAA for using improperly-trained flight attendants on 172 flights. “

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Families Revisit May 2010 Meeting with President

Buffalo, New York- September 13, 2011 – With Senator Chuck Schumer at their side, the ‘Families of Continental Flight 3407’ announced Tuesday that they were sending a letter (text included below) to President Barack Obama, calling on him to deliver on the assurances he gave group members at a May 2010 meeting in Buffalo, New York. The letter comes at a critical juncture in the group’s fight for higher aviation safety standards, as the airlines and their lobbyists attempt to obstruct the enactment of an update to our nation’s fifty-year old flight and duty time regulations for pilots.

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