Press Releases

Hearings to Shine Spotlight on Importance, Effectiveness of FAA Oversight

Buffalo, New York – May 14, 2019 – With aviation panels in both chambers scheduled to hold key hearings on Wednesday, the ‘Families of Continental Flight 3407’ announced that group members would be in attendance at both events. The Senate Commerce Committee will be holding a confirmation hearing for Stephen Dickson, President Trump’s nominee to be FAA Administrator, while the House Aviation Subcommittee will be holding an oversight hearing on the status of the Boeing 737 Max. Besides a continuing focus on the full implementation of Public Law 111-216, the Airline Safety Act of 2010, the group is zeroing in on discussions of FAA oversight in the context of potential conflicts between industry interests and the safety of the flying public. (more…)

Transportation Secretary Offers Key Assurances on Pilot Qualifications, Database

Buffalo, New York – April 18, 2019 – After meeting with Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao on Wednesday, members of the ‘Families of Continental Flight 3407’ were encouraged by her statements addressing two key provisions of the 2010 aviation safety law that was unanimously passed by Congress in response to the 2009 regional airline crash. (more…)

Highlight Delayed Pilot Records Database Implementation, Importance of Congressional Follow-Thru

Buffalo, New York – March 26, 2019 – With the Aviation Subcommittee of the Senate’s Commerce Committee scheduled to hold an aviation safety oversight hearing on Wednesday, the ‘Families of Continental Flight 3407’ announced that they would be in attendance at the hearing. The group hailed Subcommittee Chairman Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Ranking Member Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) for holding the hearing, but challenged them to put actions behind words in the follow-up to the hearing, and highlighted the continued delays by the Department of Transportation (DOT) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the implementation of the Pilot Records Database (PRD), a provision adopted nearly 10 years ago in response to the fatal crash of Flight 3407. (more…)

Buffalo, New York – February 12, 2019 – Tuesday, February 12th, 2009 will mark the 10th anniversary of the tragic regional airline crash of Continental Flight 3407 operated by Colgan Air that took the lives of all on board and one man on the ground. The families and friends of those lost will gather in Buffalo to commemorate the victims in a series of events at the crash site on Long Street, at Forest Lawn Cemetery, and at the Flight 3407 Memorial at the Clarence Library. Additionally the entire Western New York community will recognize the anniversary as the Peace Bridge, Niagara Falls, Buffalo City Hall, Erie County Hall and other portions of the downtown skyline will be lit in red on the evening of the 12th.

In conjunction with the anniversary, the ‘Families of Continental Flight 3407’ issued the following statement:

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Call on Chao, Elwell to Provide Leadership in Rule Making Process on Critical Safety Initiative

Buffalo, New York – January 29, 2019 – With the 10 year anniversary of the tragic regional airline crash just weeks away, the ‘Families of Continental Flight 3407’ expressed their disappointment with repeated delays by DOT and FAA in the implementation process of the Pilot Records Database (PRD). This common-sense bipartisan reform, designed to ensure that air carriers have full access to a pilot’s complete training record when making a hiring decision, has the full support of the airline industry. Unfortunately, the target date for the release of this rule has pushed back four times since August 2017, and is now currently slated for this May.

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Congress Rebuffs Regional Airlines and Lobbyists’ Attempts to Water Down Safety Standards

Buffalo, New York – October 3, 2018 – The ‘Families of Continental Flight 3407’ hailed today’s passage of a five-year FAA Reauthorization Bill by the Senate that left intact stronger entry-level experience requirements for regional airline first officers. This safety initiative was the cornerstone provision of landmark aviation safety legislation unanimously enacted by Congress in 2010, and had been the subject of an aggressive and well-financed lobbying campaign by the nation’s regional airlines and their lobbying arm that sought to relax its requirements. (more…)

Call on Congress, Trump Administration to Uphold Enhanced First Officer Qualification Requirements from 2010 Aviation Safety Bill

Buffalo, New York – September 24, 2018 – With the current Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization set to expire at the end of the month and a new reauthorization bill on the verge of being considered, the ‘Families of Continental Flight 3407’ announced a press conference to be held today, Monday, September 24th, at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport. The group called on Congress and the Trump Administration to hold the line on stronger entry-level experience requirements for regional airline first officers, mandated by a landmark aviation safety bill unanimously passed by Congress in 2010, despite an aggressive and well-financed lobbying campaign by the regional airlines and their lobbyists. (more…)

Group on Full Alert as Regional Airlines Continue to Push for Lower First Officer Experience Requirements

Buffalo, New York – September 11, 2018 – In response to the Federal Aviation Administration’s ‘2018 Aviation Workforce Symposium’ to be held this Thursday, the ‘Families of Continental Flight 3407’ announced that group members would be in attendance and called on President Donald Trump, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, and acting FAA Administrator Daniel Elwell to continue to hold the line on regional airline safety standards in the face of continued pressure from the regional airlines and their lobbyists. The group also recognized the tragic losses of the Rooney and Eckert families, as Sean Rooney was lost in the World Trade Center bombing, and his wife and noted 9/11 activist Beverly Eckert subsequently perished on Flight 3407. (more…)

Group Opposes Lobbying Efforts to Water Down Pilot Qualification Requirements

Buffalo, New York – July 18, 2018 – With the current FAA authorization set to expire at the end of September and indications that the Senate will be taking up this issue shortly, the ‘Families of Continental Flight 3407’ called on Senators John Thune (R-SD) and Bill Nelson (D-FL), the chairman and ranking member of the Commerce Committee, to resist pressure from the regional airlines and their lobbyists to weaken entry-level pilot qualification standards. (more…)

Call on Transportation Secretary to Sit Down with Group Members

Buffalo, New York – June 8, 2018 – In light of comments made by Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao on Thursday that suggested that heightened experience requirements for entry-level regional airline first officers were creating a pilot shortage, the ‘Families of Continental Flight 3407’ reacted strongly in support of the rule that has resulted in over nine years of no fatalities on regional aircrafts, the longest such period in our nation’s history by over three times. The group members also called on Chao to meet with them and learn more about their loved ones who were lost in the crash, and the group’s subsequent quest to ensure that the mistakes that led to Flight 3407 are never allowed to be repeated. (more…)