8 months ago
The House Aviation Subcommittee is holding hearings on regional airline safety in Washington, D.C.
Among those testifying is Mike Loftus, who lost his daughter Madeline, 24, when Continental Flight 3407 crashed in Clarence Center February 12. Loftus, a former commecial airline pilot, was invited to testify on regional air carriers and pilot workforce issues.
Also testifying Thursday was Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (D-28th District) and Congressman Chris Lee (R-26th District). Both expressed anger about regional airline safety practices, including the fact that such carriers aren't required to check entire pilot safety records prior to making a new hire. Lee said if Colgan Air had looked beyond Captain Marvin Renslow's past five years of flying, it would have seen he had failed several safety checks in earlier years. "We now know Colgan did not attempt to access this information; and, I, for one, believe the FAA should have made this a mandatory requirement, not a voluntary requirement," Lee said. The House hearing comes on the heels of a Senate Aviation Subcommittee meeting which looked at aviation safety and the FAA's role in the oversight of air carriers.
