Group Cites Failure to Prioritize Safety
March 10, 2025, Buffalo, NY – The Families of Flight 3407 strongly oppose the
nomination of Steven Bradbury for Deputy Secretary of the Department of
Transportation (DOT), citing his troubling record on aviation safety during his tenure as
Acting Deputy Secretary and General Counsel of the DOT under the First Trump
Administration.
The Family group, which has tirelessly advocated for stronger aviation safety regulations
since the tragic crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407 in 2009, believes that Bradbury’s past
policy decisions demonstrate a failure to prioritize the safety of the flying public. His
actions in key aviation safety matters are cause for deep concern.
Under Bradbury’s leadership at the DOT, the department failed to support a thorough
and transparent investigation into the crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, the second
fatal crash of a Boeing 737 MAX. Bradbury was instrumental in withholding critical
investigative materials from Congress, obstructing efforts to uncover the full extent of
Boeing’s missteps. His reluctance to cooperate with congressional inquiries directly
hindered accountability and delayed much-needed safety reforms.
Furthermore, during his tenure, Bradbury supported regulatory rollbacks that would
weaken pilot training requirements and safety oversight measures—policies that
contradict the hard-won reforms championed by the Families of Flight 3407. These
reforms, including stronger pilot training requirements enacted in the wake of the Flight
3407 tragedy, have been essential in maintaining aviation safety standards and
preventing future crashes.
Senate Democratic Leader Schumer stated, “People who weaken aviation safety
standards and side with airlines instead of crash victims should not be appointed to
leadership at the Department of Transportation. Tomorrow, I will vote no on Mr.
Bradbury.”
“Steven Bradbury has a documented history of putting corporate interests ahead of
aviation safety,” said Scott Maurer, of Palmetto, Florida, who lost his 30-year-old
daughter Lorin in the Flight 3407 crash. “His obstruction of the Boeing 737 MAX
investigation and willingness to roll back critical safety regulations make him unfit for
this role. On this sixth anniversary of the preventable Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302
accident, the Department of Transportation needs leaders who will prioritize the safety
of every passenger, not those who put business interests first. We call on the U.S.
Senate to reject Bradbury’s nomination and demand instead a Deputy Secretary of
Transportation who will uphold the highest standards of aviation safety and
transparency. The lives lost in preventable air disasters demand nothing less.”