You and all the other journalists missed the most important thing about the Colgan crash at Buffalo. When the Captain called for flaps 15 the copilot only put out 10 degrees of flaps. Then when the stall began the First Officer raised the flaps without being commanded to do so by the Captain. The Captain did not use the correct procedure of lowering the nose to recover from the stall but when the FO raised the flaps, the plane was doomed to crashing as it did soon after. The FO also never monitored the airspeed during the approach as the Monitoring Pilot is suppose to do.
At one point during the stall the plane was at about 960 feet above the ground and with 133 kts of airspeed but the wing flaps were incorrectly retracted. If the flaps were at 15 degrees at that point, as they were called for by the Captain, a stall recovery would have been most likely possible. The NTSB testimony from a Bombardier Engineer makes it clear that retracting the flaps during a stall is the worst thing you can do.
Please try to get some good sources who can explain all of this to you.

I entered the industry as a pilot for a major airline within a year of airline deregulation. Over the ensuing years I have witnessed the industry’s decline in most all areas. The corners cut across the board post-deregulation – including safety – are forever fueled by thin margins, persistent cutthroat competition, and forever cost-cutting managements.

It has fostered a downward spiral, especially for those on the bottom. Indeed, the sweatshop wages and hour, and superficial training for those on the lower, but still professional tier are almost criminal.

For years I (and many other pilots) fought against the many deleterious effects of deregulation upon the airline pilot profession; effects that also directly affect and threaten a mostly unknowing, flying public. But I had little success against the massive, economic interests of those in both the private and public sectors.

12 years ago I wrote a letter to the Wall Street Journal ( http://www.flitetime.net/wsj_ltr.pdf ) concerning pilot fatigue and lax regulations. Nothing has changed since. In fact I believe the risks have increased.

Although retired, I am still in tune with the industry. And I do advise my family on certain flights, and certain airlines they are to avoid.

The NTSB routinely releases the CVR transcripts. Families almost always find the transcripts disturbing. For that reason the NTSB never releases the actual recordings — at least it never releases the recordings voluntarily. It takes a court order to get the actual recordings, and those orders issue only under exceptional circumstances.

A question: is it normal for the NTSB to release crash transcripts like that? Have any victim’s families ever objected?

Would be grateful for your insight and expertise.

Private Pilot Single Engine Land
Instrument rating
Commercial Pilot Single Engine Land
commercial Pilot Multi Engine Land
Certified flight instructor
Certified Instrument Instructor
Certified Multi-Engine Instructor
Airline Transport PIlot (this is the PHD of flying) Multi Engine Land

I’ve flown for 3 small regional airlines. Taught all sorts of students how to fly, some now airline pilots. I’ve flown bank checks (mail) in rotten little planes in terrible weather. My last assignment was as captain for a major airline flying the 737.

I agree with the majority of Miles’ blog. It boils down to this. This crash was avoidable if the MONEY had been spent to properly train the crew, and for the crew to afford a lifestyle that any of you would consider standard. How many of you would sleep in the office building you work in? Could you live in the New York metropolitan area on $16,000 a year? Could you live in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on $16,000 a year?

I came up flying the hard way as we pilots call it. I spent years teaching others how to fly and during that time I learned more about flying than I have ever had to use while keeping safe those passengers aboard my airline.

When I was young, I read “The Spirit of St. Louis” by the great Charles A. Lindbergh. Even he mentioned he never learned more about flying than when he taught someone else and could see the myriad of mistakes that can happen.

One of the finest books on the subject of flying is “Stick and Rudder” by noted test pilot Wolfgang Langweische. One of the huge fallacies of flying is that you pull back on the ‘’stick” (or control wheel) and you go up. Indeed the control is called the ELEVATOR…so what would someone think? But if you pull back or UP too much the plane will fall out of the sky and kill you. The entire book is an explanation of what pilots call THE ANGLE OF ATTACK. That magical way of air moving across the wing to produce lift, which is the way a plane is held up in the sky.

Colgan crashed because the pilots didn’t understand the fundamentals of stall recovery. Some huge error in their training, or in fatigue compromised judgment, or something as yet fully understood caused this crash. It might have been prevented by reading “Stick and Rudder”.

BUT, as Miles has said, this crash was 30 years in the making. It costs a lot of money to fly right. But the airline industry no longer pays a lot of money to pilots, or for their training. And the public still complains about high fares, baggage fees and the like.

I disagree with Miles about the cure. I do support Re-Regulating the airlines. The new Civil Aeronautics Board could be headed by someone who thinks like me. You do things right and then you charge what you have to, to pay for doing it right and a reasonable profit (say ten percent). You also make sure that the plane is well maintained, the seats comfortably large, and do you know what an airline could compete on? SERVICE. Not how cheap something could be done.

After this crash, shouldn’t we wake up? Are you aware that pilots for Federal Express and UPS, who fly boxes around for a living, are PAID MORE than pilots at American Airlines or United Airlines? Think about that! And the pay at a Colgan or something similar is much, much worse.

Aren’t you, the traveling public, worth a few extra bucks?

The truth among veteran airline pilots is that deregulation opened Pandora’s box. It has taken 30 years for us to reap what we sowed but reap it we have. As Sully said before Congress, the pay, working conditions, and experience levels have all slid drastically south. I retired (early) 5 years ago after a 30-year airline career, mainly to avoid losing what I could salvage from my retirement plan as I watched my airline enter chapter 11. Sad state of affairs. It took us 75 years to create this aviation system and one day to destroy it, the day deregulation was approved.

Regards,

Rocky