February 1, 2010 No.026 In This Issue AA jet makes emergency landing in Turks and Caicos Qantas plane drama after tail strike AMR May Train Attendant Stand-Ins in Case of Walkout Mistaken terror scare diverts Continental Airlines flight US FAA proposes $2.5 mln fine against American Eagle How old is the plane you're flying on? Gates Fires Head of F-35 Fighter Jet Program NTSB Seeks Authority Over Commercial Space Accidents...By ANDY PASZTOR...The National Transportation... Flight 3407 tragedy could lead to better pilot training ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ AA jet makes emergency landing in Turks and Caicos An American Airlines jet made a safe emergency landing Monday in the Turks and Caicos Islands after the crew noticed an unusual smell inside the cabin, authorities said. The Boeing 737-800, carrying 109 people, was roughly halfway through its flight from Miami to the Caribbean island of St. Lucia when it landed at the airport in Providenciales. "I know that they landed because of the smell of fumes of cabin. That had to be checked out," said Peter Forbes, deputy managing director of the British territory's civil aviation authority. Nobody was injured, according to Andrea Huguely, a spokeswoman for the Fort Worth, Texas-based airline. She said a maintenance crew would check the aircraft before it returns to service and another 737 would take the passengers on to St. Lucia. http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9DJJBJ00.htm [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102988068756&s=6053&e=001MmQPSFiAjQKQmyFkltgQKkV4cF1F7gFC16halX7vExGLQAT3OCJ6bQzlMkz_5OHR_P8l91fxAPt8IAmkmyWfG355z6CdvIonuvC25KYLaDo8dv3JgUqFHTaJpjQZCH6oJgZ3Hmb5dKC1XkTOV0qyX-rBxcvo4iol6shgYgq5-cM=] Back To Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Qantas plane drama after tail strike A Qantas plane with 120 passengers on board had to abort its ascent and return to Sydney airport after a tail strike on take-off yesterday afternoon. Flight QF453, a Boeing 767 bound for Melbourne, had taken off from Sydney at 5pm and was in its climbing phase when the captain told passengers over the PA system that that plane's tail may have struck the ground on take-off. A tail strike occurs when a plane takes off at too sharp an angle and scrapes the underside of the tail assembly on the runway. Passenger Nicole Kearns, 33, who was flying with her one-year-old son, said she thought she detected the pilots throttling off to slow the engines while the plane was still climbing. The captain then made his address just minutes into the flight, as the coastline was still in view. "We were on ascent then the announcement came over that we'd have to turn around," she said. "They said another plane had thought they'd observed a tail strike on take-off on our plane." "The pilots said it was quite gusty on take-off, and wind might have contributed," said Ms Kearns. Ms Kearns, an experienced parachutist of 300 jumps, said that she felt no impact, or any unusual noise from the plane during take-off. "I didn't hear anything or feel anything unusual," she said. The plane turned and landed about 15 minutes later without incident, and was tailed by a ground vehicle with flashing lights as it taxied back to the terminal. Passengers were kept on board for about 10 minutes while the plane was inspected on the ground, Ms Kearns said. Passengers were then told they would be offloaded and rebooked on later flights. She said she believed the crew were still strapped in their seats when the incident occurred and were "extra courteous" to passengers when they were disembarked for replacement flights. A Qantas spokeswoman told Fairfax Media a gust of wind lifted the nose of the plane as its front wheel had just left the ground, lifting the plane up more sharply than normal. "The tail skid - a shock absorber at the back of the aircraft - touched the runway," the spokeswoman said. Tail skids are devices purposely fitted to aircraft to absorb tail strike impacts. The pilots were aware of the strike from the cockpit instruments, the Qantas spokeswoman said. There was no damage to the plane although some paint was scratched off, she said. Engineers have inspected and cleared the plane to return to service. It takes to the skies again tomorrow as flight QF581 from Sydney to Perth at 10:10am. There was no pilot error, she said. Qantas had notified the Australian Transport Safety Bureau and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority of the incident. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau had been notified of the event, a spokesman confirmed, but won't need to investigate. The most significant recent occurrence of a tail strike was during the take-off of an Emirates jumbo carrying 275 people from Melbourne in March last year. Its potentially disastrous impact with the runway, airport lights and antennas was caused by the pilots underestimating the aircraft's weight by 100 tonnes, leading to insufficient thrust for take-off. http://www.theage.com.au/travel/travel-news/qantas-plane-drama-after-tail-strike-20100202-na83.html [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102988068756&s=6053&e=001MmQPSFiAjQIGZZziMp3s3MgFtZDwwM6lzDV9UeSEe6LXdMfBjCPshVS48h1OrNyyIBZSaomWYD4Bg0CG1s4TkchsUmRLt65Qgh0WqLE6fU9JZ1hgV6YcLvjnnZ7z5rOssb4t6QfdsSKnVcgs9zXfKT2vDiRxLQz8j0wMiqq2ekW5cHsrAZMDDE3fIKLsvfqikyQS8rTgTmwkYD_Z9FFWGJHY_3GoTRnh] Back To Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ AMR May Train Attendant Stand-Ins in Case of Walkout Feb. 1 (Bloomberg) -- American Airlines told U.S. officials it's studying the training of replacement workers in the event of a flight attendants' strike at the world's second-largest carrier, the Federal Aviation Administration said. AMR Corp.'s American hasn't taken steps to implement such a plan, Alison Duquette, an FAA spokeswoman, said today in an interview. Any shortened training sessions for replacement workers would require clearance by the agency, she said. "The airline has told us they are considering" training new attendants, Duquette said. "If they decide to go ahead with that, we would be approving that training as part of the process." Alerting the FAA about a possible training need highlights the tension at American as it prepares for five days of talks with the Association of Professional Flight Attendants starting Feb. 27. The union has said it will seek a release from further bargaining, a step toward a walkout, if no contract is reached. American is "working to coordinate an approved contingency training program, should it be necessary," while focusing on reaching an agreement with the flight attendants, said Missy Latham, a spokeswoman for the Fort Worth, Texas-based carrier. Such plans are "standard in the airline industry during contract negotiations," she said. David Roscow, an APFA spokesman, said the union had no immediate comment. APFA represents about 16,550 active-duty attendants at American, which makes 1,900 flights a day, excluding its American Eagle commuter unit. American has 1,408 attendants on furlough, including 550 laid off in 2009. 1993 Training In 1993, American trained about 1,300 managers and volunteers in an attempt to keep more planes flying during a five-day strike by attendants. The work stoppage, which occurred just before Thanksgiving and ended when then-President Bill Clinton intervened, cost the carrier at least $10 million a day. Replacements underwent a 10-day course that focused on safety and was monitored by the FAA. Federal requirements call for 1 flight attendant for every 50 seats on an aircraft. "It's hard to know how successful something like that would be," said Robert W. Mann of consultant R.W. Mann & Co. in Port Washington, New York. "It's as effective as replacements can be with the proviso that customers usually notice the difference." American and the attendants' union have been in talks since June 2008. Eleven contract articles remained open when the two sides ended a focused 11-day negotiating session on Jan. 21. After the new talks were scheduled this month, the union delayed a strike-authorization vote set for as early as Jan. 22. http://www.businessweek.com [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102988068756&s=6053&e=001MmQPSFiAjQKipXigHVUptZl036ay018S2iAIVkdfRQQ-Lt1FeoZLZDA39DVVDCmyvE_0PHrxXDXbDdvnvZAu93k7TK9jBjGrVhngsfz7k-lTRFiKt2PZaNGW6fUsHUnjvh4-I4UrWkpL5Z49f_KgfgwAkgoYBgRvie3K1Qa4Voq2sApalkS4WscNqKYI7uewc01uuZ4rd4Yzqt7hx-n82o0apXaYBDXNxpXVBY3tht8=] Back To Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mistaken terror scare diverts Continental Airlines flight A Continental Airlines flight bound for Bogotá, Colombia had to be diverted to Jacksonville, Florida Friday after a passenger was mistakenly identified as having matched a suspected terrorist on the "no-fly" list. A Continental Airline official, who spoke anonymously, said that upon arriving at the Jacksonville, Florida airport, the passenger was screened by the FBI and cleared to continue flying onto Colombia. The situation was quite scary for the 75 passengers aboard Continental flight 881 in light of the Christmas day attempted bombing of a Detroit flight by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. Under the current screening system, if a passenger's name shows up on the no-fly list or is similar to a name on the list, that individual is either banned from boarding that flight or processed for further screening in order to positively identify them and ensure they are no threat before being allowed to fly. The new identification program, which the Transportation Security Administration says most domestic airlines will switch to by March with the exception of two airlines, is called Secure Flight. This new, more secure passenger identification data system will include more detailed information about those on the no-fly list, including sex, birth date and their full names as they appear on government documents. Airline officials say flight 881 arrived in Bogotá, Colombia without further incident. http://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/international/mistaken-terror-scare-diverts-continental-airlines-flight [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102988068756&s=6053&e=001MmQPSFiAjQK6ZQsa7XWk_nXTSYJtCoIzzx_5b3gxCnbSbJxx2I8fVY2i9Zls5jIpMhDuNXP17lChllXGg89YP_6KysHy6hGBXUTphP0KAq7EP89V8DCnPW1kRLrgN8at25yHC6ZNb_cv_2qPU8NjNpt3y_Q211ANIpuAZZrjHRjY_j0pwODqGYIgvH1IkwE3ff9C6RJE_x6UFKrHVVjfYTWNnwm79mB4] Back To Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ US FAA proposes $2.5 mln fine against American Eagle WASHINGTON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on Monday proposed a $2.5 million fine against American Eagle Airlines, a unit of AMR Corp (AMR.N), for allegedly calculating cargo weight improperly. The FAA said American Eagle conducted at least 154 passenger flights in 2008 with the wrong baggage weight entered into an electronic system that computes aircraft loads and balance. The carrier operated another 39 flights after the FAA told it about the problem, the FAA said. Incorrect weight and balance information can lead to faulty calculations for flight control settings and other data necessary for safe takeoffs and landings, regulators said in a statement. American Eagle has since corrected the problem and has 30 days to respond to the proposed fine, the FAA said. Such penalties are often reduced on appeal. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN0121165920100201?type=marketsNews [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102988068756&s=6053&e=001MmQPSFiAjQJI1jyd-KhV6DBgks1J2V6QeE_ZeyxeTAW5sViDdRZn9txnCyhUTd8K7dmP8Iv9S5i9wk0UFjBzV-lXH2Z88Mu8cgpJtQYzRKhh_TusqkUIEvYlOt4c6DOu99JqnlD7QqRPtlZROEZezVJGGBSnqPQeU6KIEeK8tJaJfB1aPSeGpA==] Back To Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ How old is the plane you're flying on? (CNN) -- Few people expect luxury while flying, but these days, even the basics seem to be in bad shape. It's not uncommon to find your tray table broken, the in-flight entertainment system not working and your seat cushion worn -- all of which can make you think, how old is this plane anyway? It won't be an issue for passengers who board the shiny new Boeing 787 Dreamliner when it enters commercial service -- perhaps sometime next year if everything goes smoothly during its testing period. (Most Americans likely won't see the plane for a few years after that. Most Dreamliners have been ordered by airlines outside the United States.) The fuel-efficient aircraft will boast all-new interiors with state-of-the-art lighting, bigger windows, roomier overhead bins, higher humidity levels in the passenger cabin and "more personal space," according to Boeing. But for now, the reality for many U.S. air travelers is that most of their journeys take place on planes that have been in service for a decade or more and show it, though in ways that have no impact on their safety -- like worn interiors, broken creature comforts and less than spotless conditions. That doesn't stop some passengers from wondering if interior wear and tear translates to something more ominous. "It's inevitable you draw the link, even subconsciously sometimes, between whether a plane is cosmetically well maintained with whether it's safe," said Joe Brancatelli, who flies dozens of times a year and runs JoeSentMe.com, a Web site for business travelers. "That is a very tenuous link, it's more psychological than reality, but people make that link." Watch the Dreamliner's maiden flight in December Aging fleets In fact, it has been a while since most Americans have experienced that new plane smell. The average age of the fleet of the seven large U.S. passenger airlines -- including American, Alaska, Continental, the merged Delta and Northwest, Southwest, United and US Airways -- is about 14 years old, according to The Airline Monitor. It found American and Delta/Northwest had the oldest fleets, at about 16 years on average. As of the end of 2008, a small percentage of the merged Delta/Northwest's planes dated back to the late 1960s. U.S. fleets are among the oldest in the world, said Richard Aboulafia, an aviation analyst at the Teal Group in Fairfax, Virginia. "I'm not really sure that people should read that much into that," Aboulafia said. "From a safety standpoint, a lot of the older planes were built tougher and with proper maintenance, there's no reason why a plane can't stay safe for 25 to 30 years." The U.S. and most of the developed world have superb standards and maintenance regulations, the result of decades of experience that have made the system incredibly safe, Aboulafia said. It's also important to remember that a plane may be 20 years old, but its engines and other major systems could have been recently manufactured or upgraded, said Todd Curtis, a former airline safety analyst with Boeing and the founder of AirSafe.com. There's less pressure on the airlines to upgrade the interior, unless it's a safety issue or a redesign that will save money. Last week, Delta announced it will spend $1 billion through mid-2013 to improve the planes it already owns, rather than invest in new aircraft. The upgrades will include adding in-seat audio and video on demand in economy class on dozens of planes and installing full flat-bed seats in BusinessElite on 90 trans-oceanic aircraft. 'Creaking like a haunted mansion' For many air travelers, the noises a plane makes can be interpreted as a disturbing sign of its age. "There's a strange whistling in the cabin," wrote a poster recently on Flightsfromhell.com, recalling a tense journey on what appeared to be an old plane. "The engines sounded like they were at full throttle the whole trip... [and] the whole plane made a horrible 'crunching' sound on touch-down." The aircraft then "limped up to the gate creaking like a haunted mansion. Nothing specifically bad happened on the flight, but we were all pale and shaking once we got off," the poster wrote. Curtis, who has been around airplanes most of his adult life, said he's also sensitive to unusual noises while flying, but explained that most creaks and squeaks air travelers worry about are routine. "Every aircraft, even brand new, is designed to be somewhat flexible -- it's not a piece of rock. It's a flexible machine that's designed to bend ever so slightly under certain kinds of stresses. So you might have structural creaking going on because parts of the fuselage or the wings are flexing during flight," Curtis said. "You could also have equipment inside the aircraft, for example, the furnishings, the overhead bins, the seats, etc., which could have the creaky, squeaky stuff going on." Which means that even the new Boeing Dreamliner likely won't be immune to making noises. Some travelers may also not be eager to fly it right away precisely because it's new. "They'd rather wait for stuff that gets shaken down and they know it works," Brancatelli said. "It's like anything, do you really want to be in a restaurant the first night it's open?" The plane is the first major airliner to be made mostly of composite materials, making it lighter and more fuel-efficient. This also means the plane's testing will be quite rigorous to see how the material will behave in service, Aboulafia said. Last month, United announced it has requested 25 Dreamliners, though the airline won't take delivery until 2016 at the earliest. Boeing is touting the new plane's sweeping arches, wide aisles and larger lavatories as features that will make travelers more comfortable, but experts said economy class passengers likely won't see much relief when it comes to personal space. It will be up to each airline to decide the seat configuration, which is likely going to be similar to what travelers see now. "The one issue I worry about in any airplane, I don't care what it is, is leg room, and frankly, if you're flying in coach, they're going to pack them in to make money," Curtis said. http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/02/01/planes.age.dreamliner/index.html?hpt=T2 [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102988068756&s=6053&e=001MmQPSFiAjQKCe0w-t8TiXTvBYiSa-nBcHy4NLo8wiTv_g953UNF9QdAZ9SN9osbWJnI1_V8D1QUmUxfs8ZFWaH3W0ue-9fYoIhi4Va-BQ1X8Q_wd6Mm-DXDDfFZppwFbA2v19_jU8xcYmVP-Thzd3sxt6lNm68B_aTo5-bReZIrhFvRadzvOg9JoGpUWfN9HzBghQTu_eHQ=] Back To Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gates Fires Head of F-35 Fighter Jet Program A senior manager is being removed and Lockheed Martin penalized for missing targets on a new generation of fighter jets currently in production, the secretary of defense said Monday. A senior manager in charge of procuring the next generation of military fighter jets known as F-35 Joint Strike Fighter has been fired and the Department of Defense has been instructed to withhold money that would pay bonuses to the lead contractor, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced Monday. In a briefing at the Pentagon on the 2011 defense budget, Gates said inefficiencies and budget overruns within the costly fighter program forced him to take action. Gates said Lockheed Martin, the defense contractor responsible for producing the F-35, is in agreement with his plan to withhold bonuses, calling it a burden "the taxpayer should not have to bear." In 2009 a Defense Department review concluded the Joint Strike Fighter program had significant cost overruns and its production dates were far over schedule. Gates did not announce a replacement to head up the Joint Strike Fighter program, but he said the new position will be elevated to that of a three-star officer. Gates has a reputation for firing his senior staff, and he was quick to point that out. "One cannot absorb the additional costs that -- that we have in this program and the -- and the delays, without people being held accountable. And I think if -- if I've set one tone here at the Department of Defense, it is that, when things go wrong, people will be held accountable." In 2008 Gates fired Air Force Secretary Michael Wynn and forced out the Air Force Chief of Staff, Michael T. Moseley in wake of the "loose nukes" scandal earlier that year. In 2009 he removed Gen. David McKiernan from his position as the commanding general in Afghanistan after it became clear that the Taliban had reversed the momentum of the war. Brig. Gen. David Heinz, now the former Program executive officer for the F-35, has become the secretary's latest casualty. The new project manager for the Joint Strike Fighter will be announced in a matter of days, and he'll have heavy burden to bear. The Joint Strike Fighter is currently the Pentagon's most expensive weapons project ever, with defense officials putting the price tag for all the jets requested at nearly $300 billion. The F-35 fighter is called the "Joint" Strike Fighter because it's designed for use across the Navy, Marine Corp, and the Air Force. The Pentagon also has plans to sell it to allies overseas once production needs within the U.S. military have been met. The first F-35s are expected to be operation in 2012 if all goes according to plan. The Marines will be the first to get them and the defense community will be watching closely. From the day an F35 rolls off the assembly to the day it's retired, it's total production cost is valued at $69 million. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/02/01/gates-fires-head-f-fighter-jet-program/?test=latestnews [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102988068756&s=6053&e=001MmQPSFiAjQLnwpsO9PnCa4DCpd3wH-mBJvjFRIPQEoeK_hHCTEIXG3MwH_Qyd1xS2WHXm04t4eA_YRaq_yKBz0KNNJCQNlrcr_ElHC2nuAaZ2riVVvHcE7ZUFnlFuKoiF0yK1wST-BA4MRoOLZD9DCrw78p1oaXubhIRXPvtAx4troHCxFIz1Lv2Cxh6U21nEZTesGWPwNlNrFDcAWuVuI6Qx94zvDM_jkIR4og82QM=] Back To Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NTSB Seeks Authority Over Commercial Space Accidents By ANDY PASZTOR The National Transportation Safety Board, which probes plane, train, ship and highway crashes, wants to expand its purview to cover commercial spacecraft mishaps and accidents. This week, the safety board for the first time asked Congress to explicitly give it primary investigative authority over accidents involving commercial space vehicles. As part of the request submitted to the House Transportation subcommittee on aviation, Deborah Hersman, the board's chairman, also reiterated that lawmakers should clarify that the board is authorized to investigate incidents involving civilian unmanned aircraft. The board also asked lawmakers to approve a nearly 20% boost to its budget for the fiscal year starting Oct. 1, bringing it up to $117.4 million. Senior members of the panel expressed initial support for the request. By the end of this decade, uses of civilian unmanned vehicles may be widespread and space-tourism proponents predict that thrill-seekers will be able to routinely buy tickets and hop on regularly scheduled trips to the edge of space. The agency already has moved to establish its presence in some of these areas. Board officials negotiated agreements years ago with the Air Force and the Federal Aviation Administration to investigate certain commercial space launches that stray from their intended trajectories. Board experts previously examined why a rocket launched from an airplane veered off course. In addition, the safety board already has investigated crashes of two civilian unmanned aerial vehicles, including a Predator drone used by U.S. immigration officials to monitor the Mexican border. The Predator crashed in 2006, coming down within 100 yards of a house in Nogales, Ariz. Two years later, the board sponsored a public forum to discuss safety issues posed by the advent of remotely controlled, unmanned aircraft. But to avoid the prospect of signing separate agreements with each company or commercial entity that might launch humans into space, the board wants Congress to designate it as the lead agency responsible for accident investigations in this arena. Under the board's request, the FAA would retain existing authority to regulate space-tourism operators, establish minimum crew standards and ensure that passengers are advised about the risks associated with such flights. http://online.wsj.com [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102988068756&s=6053&e=001MmQPSFiAjQJ27Kpr8XvezInHtorgFtotojP6pKs1T4WUh3XK1daloQN9BqTMeMfvMSV0p1dcw7ffDV_HDOweys_P1qfwVIKnwQi2Y5qQGtSytrly7P1t0h17qvb3n8KSKLz_Hg397GMX6n2kJyLJ51jvUHWb2DmPy5ZJJk5BJqGLC6MvU-WzSxBsi9zAezeUhgH_iz89Gc9JJ5QXlIxmc9xZf_SUzSIV] Back To Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Flight 3407 tragedy could lead to better pilot training By Alan Levin Federal accident investigators hope to shed light Tuesday on why the pilot of a Buffalo-bound plane tried unorthodox tactics in response to a cockpit alert and sent the turboprop plunging to the ground, killing 50 people in one of the deadliest U.S. crashes of the past decade. Colgan Air Capt. Marvin Renslow jerked the plane's nose skyward during the flight Feb. 12, causing the craft to slow and plunge. Everyone aboard and a man on the ground died. Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) have released thousands of pages describing errors by Renslow and co-pilot Rebecca Shaw. Tuesday's meeting could have significant implications for the airline industry, according to aviation safety experts. The crash prompted the government to break a decades-long logjam that had blocked new work rules to prevent pilot fatigue. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has promised to release new rules within months. The accident shines a light on how pilots are trained to respond when they get a warning that they have gotten too slow. Renslow and Shaw got such a warning, but instead of speeding up and lowering the plane's nose, Renslow exacerbated the problem by pulling up. "The tragedy of Flight 3407 could well prove to be a catalyst to improve pilot training," said John Cox, a safety consultant and former airline pilot. Renslow and Shaw chatted about many topics in the minutes before the crash. Such non-work conversation is forbidden under federal rules. The pilots also were late in performing a checklist. According to documents released by the NTSB and interviews with experts such as Cox, these areas will receive attention at Tuesday's meeting: ·Regional airlines operate more than half of all flights under contract for major carriers, but their standards often are not as rigorous as the bigger airlines'. A USA TODAY review of accidents during the past decade revealed that pilots on regional flights were far more likely to have a history of failed tests of flying ability. Renslow failed five such tests before the accident. Pilots receiving low pay at regional airlines have a harder time getting adequate rest before reporting to duty. Shaw had flown overnight from the West Coast to Newark to report to work the day of the crash. Renslow had the previous night off, but there was no record he had a place to sleep in Newark. Crash victims' relatives plan to watch the hearing closely. "We don't want any family members to ever have to experience what we have," said Mike Quimby, whose father-in-law, Brad Green, 53, was on the flight. http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-02-01-crash_N.htm [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102988068756&s=6053&e=001MmQPSFiAjQIa6HsvCTI6AehM3Z9AlV_K3M5mqNu_IS-kA4xKiFVNkEhkXGg0C0VJu9_EgjUlHA2wfPRVzSYW_rVxyUik997v3gPE6Fo-OhAiprNTPDtTP4V2PbZzdO7naUISWEK9sz8P0o267LfC4CReqW7vrhEZspBplrh-stc=] Back To Top ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Curt Lewis, P.E., CSP CURT LEWIS & ASSOCIATES, LLC