Are Airlines Safe? Or Are There A Whole Lot of Plane Crashes Going On?
Attorney
(866) 735-1102 Ext 325
Within just a few short months we all experienced the Military fighter plane that crashed into a home, the Hudson crash, and more recently, the tragic Colgan Air/Continental Airline's Flight 3407. The back to back media coverage has raised some serious concerns about the safety of commercial air travel. It’s a series of questions that need answers, and sadly, are linked to the down turn in the economy.
It used to be that commercial travel was not only an elegant way to travel, but it was safe. Statistically, airplanes have always been considered safer. The National Travel Safety Board (“NTSB”) keeps records on all commercial plane accidents, regardless of fatalities.
With cut backs in funding and decreased revenues, airlines have cut their staff, their maintenance programs and their inspections. Some airlines have lowered inspections to only those required by the FAA. The cutbacks are showing in the reported crash numbers. While airlines are bound to exercise due care and protect their passengers from injury, the reports of frequent plane crashes is not a coincidence.
The crash of Buffalo’s Flight 3407, which killed 50 people, was originally blamed on ice on the wings. More recently the NTSB Report became available, and its bad news. Pilot fatigue and pilot error (mostly because of lack of training) were the central causes of the crash. Rebecca Shaw, the co-pilot, was paid under $16,000, which has startled Congressional members after hearing testimony of the quality of airline training in commuter type airlines.
USA TODAY reports:
The role of regional airlines has grown. Once considered industry runts, they are now joined at the hip with the big airlines. People who buy a ticket on a major airline often find themselves on a regional carrier for some part of a domestic trip. Passengers often don't even realize they're traveling on two airlines.
Regional airlines account for half of all domestic departures and about one-quarter of the passengers. They are the only scheduled service to about 440 communities.
Witnesses at National Transportation Safety Board hearings this past week said it's possible that many passengers on Flight 3407 the night of Feb. 12 didn't know the plane and its flight crew belonged not to Continental, but Colgan Air of Manassas, Va.
The twin-engine turboprop experienced an aerodynamic stall as it neared Buffalo Niagara International Airport before plunging into a house. All 49 people aboard and a man in the house were killed. Testimony and documents indicate the captain, Marvin Renslow, and co-pilot Rebecca Shaw made a series of critical errors.
NTSB investigators calculated Shaw was paid just over $16,000. Colgan officials testified that captains such as Renslow earn about $55,000 a year. The company later said Shaw's salary was $23,900 and that captains earn about $67,000.
Pilot pay is usually based on the size of the aircraft and a pilot's experience. But the workload and flight schedules at regional airlines are often more demanding than at a major airline, where the planes are larger and make longer but less frequent trips, said Scott Johns, a former Northwest Airlines pilot and air crash investigator.
The President of the Regional Airline association was interviewed, Roger Cohen, and he denied any suggestion that pilots’ inadequate training and experience could be linked to safety. That gives us aviation attorneys some pause.
Whether it’s coincidence, media sensationalism, or simply the “new era” in Washington politics, Congress is finally going to take a look at standards of regional airlines. Congress was already reviewing commercial aircraft standards. Let’s hope Congress takes this seriously. But just in case, like so many other avoidable situations and dangers before, the trial lawyers will be waiting in the wings to hold the industry responsible should they act with disregard to human life.