I worry about a lot of things when I’m flying. Is there enough room for my carry-on baggage? Will a passenger near me smell like cab driver feet? Am I going to get stuck sitting next to that obnoxious talking guy? (OK, that last one is usually me.)
Now I’ll be wondering if my pilot is sleep-deprived. Today the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board determined that pilot fatigue contributed to the tragic February crash of Flight 3407. The doomed Continental Connection flight operated by Colgan Air, crashed near Buffalo, New York. All 49 passengers and crew members aboard the plane and one person on the ground were killed.
It turns out co-pilot Rebecca Shaw had pulled an all-nighter before she got on the flight, taking a red-eye flight to Newark after spending a week skiing. She also complained of a head cold and likely should have called in sick. Captain Marvin Renslow was seen taking a nap in the flight crew lounge before the flight. As the investigation continues, there are even reports that the Captain was flirting with his pretty co-pilot right before the crash. Still, discussions of pilot fatigue have made all the headlines this morning.
In the last 16 years, fatigue has been associated with 250 fatalities in air carrier accidents, Robert Sumwalt, NTSB vice chairman, said at an FAA symposium in July.
Answering the criticism, the airlines have stated that they diligently adhere to FAA guidelines, which dictate that pilots on major and regional airlines can only fly for eight hours over the course of a 24-hour period. (Nevertheless, that 24 hour period might include nights or other nontraditional hours.)
However, as more details of the investigation are made public, it seems evident that it wasn’t just pilot fatigue that caused the crash. During the plane’s descent into Buffalo, the flight crew made several crucial mistakes when attempting to land in icy conditions.
Was fatigue a factor? Definitely — but unfortunately for the people killed, so was improper training and pilot inexperience.
My husband’s flight (on Continental) was delayed for an hour and a half earlier this week in order for the crew to rest. Apparently everyone sat around and waited until their alloted rest time was over.