FAA vows to boost scrutiny of pilot safety
Four months after a fatal commuter plane crash that pointed to holes in pilot competency, the federal government Tuesday launched an investigation of the nation’s smaller airlines.
The Federal Aviation Administration’s vow to step up inspections of how regional airlines train -- and work -- their pilots was issued under the pressure of congressional hearings that begin today.
The hearings will explore pilot workforce issues at regional carriers and the FAA’s scrutiny of airline safety standards.
In the aftermath of the deadly accident in February involving Continental Connection Flight 3407 in upstate New York, the public has gotten an unprecedented view into the life of regional airline pilots. Many have second jobs to feed their families and commute to work as passengers before starting their workday in the cockpit.
The commuter pilot job is arguably the most difficult in the industry, often involving numerous takeoffs and landings in a shift.
The new FAA inspections are occurring amid the safest period on record for the commercial airline industry. The accident rate over the last decade has fallen to one fatal accident a year for every 10 million flight hours, down from about three fatal accidents annually in the previous 10 years, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
Though the FAA officially holds the major airlines and their regional flying partners to the same regulatory standards, safety experts contend that compliance sometimes veers off course at the smaller carriers.
The situation has probably grown worse with the increasing financial pressures on airlines.
“I don’t think people are intentionally cutting corners in terms of training, working with fewer pilots and less equipment, but I do have some concerns when you go from carrier to carrier,” said Frank Ayers, chairman of the flight training department at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla.
The crash of the Continental regional plane, operated by Colgan Air, resulted in the deaths of all 49 people aboard and one person on the ground. Numerous errors committed by the captain and first officer, the crew’s limited experience flying in icy weather and warning signs about pilot fatigue were disclosed at a safety board hearing last month.
The FAA has invited airline industry officials to a summit Monday to explore ways to improve airline safety, pilot training and cockpit discipline.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said mentoring relationships might be established between the major airlines and the regional operators in an effort to ensure that the best practices in pilot training and performance were being applied.
FAA inspectors, already stretched thin, sometimes might be tempted to treat feeder carriers as a “collateral duty,” said Linda Goodrich, a vice president of the union representing FAA inspectors.
Inspectors also are clustered in major aviation hubs, making it more challenging to catch flying or maintenance shortfalls in some of the smaller markets frequented by feeder airlines.
Many smaller carriers are also growing rapidly, adding new types of aircraft to their fleets while juggling traditionally high pilot turnover rates.
Ayers said higher salaries would take a lot of pressure off young regional airline pilots. “Trying to make ends meet on $21,000 to $30,000 isn’t easy,” he said.
But the Regional Airline Assn. countered that there was no link between safety and pilot salaries.
“The airline business has never made a profit. Airlines have cut salaries, reduced pension benefits and gone through bankruptcies,” said Roger Cohen, president of the association. “Airfares have gone down so passengers can fly at the kind of bargain rates they have been flying for years. The one thing that has improved is safety.”
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jjohnsson@tribune.com
