Latest News

The House of Representatives has voted in favor of the Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of 2010 which includes the critical safety measures we have been fighting for over the past year and a half. The Senate is set to vote on this bill in the next day or so which will result in a significant achievement in the advancement of aviation safety in the United States. Check back soon for an update on the Senate's actions.

Welcome

Welcome to the website created and maintained by the family members of the victims of Flight 3407. Continental Flight 3407 departed Newark airport on Thursday, February 12 en route to Buffalo, New York. Approximately 5 miles from the airport, the airplane began experiencing problems and tragically crashed into the Clarence Center neighborhood just outside of Buffalo. 45 passengers, 4 crew members, 1 off-duty pilot, and 1 person on the ground perished in this horrible accident.

Purpose

Immediately following the accident, family members and close friends of the victims congregated in Buffalo, NY to learn more about what happened onboard the fateful flight. In the weeks following the accident, a bond was formed amongst the family members and we have vowed to do everything in our power to learn the true causes of the accident and prevent future aviation accidents from occurring. None of us wish for another family to go through the pain and suffering we have been through and we are doing everything in our power to promote positive change in the aviation industry. The purpose of this website and our related actions is to bring awareness to the outstanding safety issues yet to be addressed by the FAA and major airlines and to improve overall safety of passengers in the skies.

Accomplishments

Since the NTSB conducted its original public hearing on this tragedy in May 2009, the Families of Flight 3407 have been able to meet with numerous government officials to heighten awareness of aviation safety issues and to ask for assistance in improving the safety of airline passengers across the country. A brief summary of the individuals we have met with include:

  • President Barack Obama (Click here for article)
  • Offices of 88 US Senators, including meetings with 12 Senators
  • Offices of 24 US Representatives, including meetings with 14 Representatives
  • Offices of 66 US Senators, including meetings with 10 Senators
  • Offices of 18 US Representatives, including meetings with 11 Representatives
  • Hon. Ray LaHood, Secretary of Transportation
  • Hon. Randy Babbitt, Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration
  • Hon. Deborah Hersman, Chairman, National Transportation Safety Board
  • Staff members of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
  • Staff members of the House Subcommittee on Aviation

Our ongoing awareness campaign and request for positive changes to aviation safety regulations have helped influence many government initiatives. Since this accident, five Senate hearings and three House of Representatives hearings have been conducted to investigate the current state of aviation safety and opportunities for improvement. Representatives from The Families of Continental Flight 3407, Mike Loftus and Scott Maurer, were invited by Congressional members to testify and participate in three of those hearings.

Our efforts have also led to the passage of H.R. 3371, the ‘Airline Safety and Pilot Training Improvement Act’ by the House, and the introduction of four aviation safety bills in the Senate. Additionally, both the Senate and House have included aviation safety provisions in the FAA Reauthorization Bills that they have individually passed (refer to the Links page for more detailed information on these bills). And the FAA held only its second-ever, industry-wide Call to Action in June, a safety summit of the airlines and pilots, to determine a plan of action to ensure that the tragedy of Continental Flight 3407 is never repeated.

The Remaining Challenges

Although much has been accomplished, much work still remains. Our group remains focused on these three areas:

1) Legislation focused on achieving ‘One Level of Safety’ for all passengers on regional airlines – a) requiring that all commercial airline pilots possess an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) license prior to being hired, and b) making best practice Safety Management programs like FOQA (Flight Operational Quality Assurance) and LOSA (Line Operated Safety Audit) mandatory for all commercial airlines. Currently, a pilot can be hired as a first officer by an airline with a Commercial Pilot License (CPL), with as little as 250 flight hours. Requiring an ATP license would ensure not only additional flying experience (1,500 flight hours), but also would carry greater qualitative requirements for flying in instrument conditions, cross country, and at night, as well as additional check flight and academic testing requirements. It would ensure that passengers flying on regional and major airlines would receive ‘one level of safety’ in terms of pilot qualifications. Additionally, our accident revealed that many regional airlines like Colgan Air had not implemented many of the best practice safety programs utilized by the major carriers. Once again, we feel strongly that regional passengers are entitled to the same commitment to safety and investment in best practices as passengers on the major carriers.

2) The passage of a combined FAA Reauthorization Bill by the House and Senate. The Senate passed its version of the FAA Reauthorization Bill in March by a 93-0 vote, including many of the safety provisions we have been advocating for. Currently the House and Senate aviation subcommittees are in the midst of merging the FAA Bills passed by each house, and we are imploring them to 1) adopt the strongest possible safety provisions, and 2) get a compromise final bill to the President’s desk by July 3rd, when the current extension of the FAA’s Authorization expires. (Congress has been unable to pass a new Authorization for the FAA since September of 2007, and has had to file 13 short-term extensions since then).

3) Continued oversight of the aviation industry, particularly the FAA’s implementation of aviation safety legislation and the regional airlines’ commitment (or lack of) to ‘putting the best pilots in the cockpit and setting them up for success.’ The FAA is in the midst of two key rulemakings, which are aimed at revising the training standards in the industry as well implementing new flight and duty time schedules to combat the growing problem of pilot fatigue. Additionally, if passed, the FAA Reauthorization Bill will require the FAA to develop new regulations on minimum qualifications for commercial pilots and safety management systems. We must remain watchful over both the FAA completing these regulations and the industry implementing them.