Incidents involving regional carriers in recent years

Seven of the last nine commercial airline crashes in the United States have involved regional carriers, and federal investigators say pilot fatigue was a likely a factor in at least four of those accidents.

Feb. 12, 2009: A Colgan Air twin-engine turboprop crashed in Buffalo, N.Y., while on approach for landing. Fifty people were killed, including one person on the ground. Colgan is owned by Pinnacle Airlines Corp. Investigators suspect that inadequate training in stall recovery procedures and pilot fatigue contributed to the crash.

April 12, 2007: A Pinnacle Airlines regional jet ran off the runway while landing in a snowstorm at Cherry Capital Airport in Traverse City, Mich. Although the plane was substantially damaged, the 52 passengers and crew were unhurt. The NTSB found that pilot fatigue probably contributed to the air crew’s failure to calculate the amount of runway needed to land in bad weather.

Feb. 18, 2007: A Shuttle America regional jet ran off the end of the runway at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport in Ohio during landing. Of the four crew members and 71 passengers, three passengers received minor injuries. Noting that the captain had slept only an hour the day before, the NTSB found that pilot fatigue was a likely factor in the accident.

Aug. 27, 2006: A Comair regional jet ran off the end of the runway while taking off at Blue Grass Airport in Lexington, Ky. Forty-nine of the 50 people aboard were killed. The first officer was seriously injured. Among other things, investigators determined that the pilots turned onto a runway that was too short for the aircraft. Fatigue was not a factor.

Oct. 19, 2004: A Corporate Airlines twin-engine turboprop crashed into the trees short of the runway while landing at Kirksville Regional Airport in Missouri. Thirteen people were killed and two were injured. Investigators found that a lack of preparation for landing was probably due to pilot fatigue. They noted that the captain and first officer had been on duty 14 hours that day and were making their sixth flight when the crash occurred.

Oct. 14, 2004: A Pinnacle Airlines regional jet crashed in Jefferson City, Mo., killing the captain and first officer, the only people aboard. While flying the plane to Minneapolis, the pilots put the aircraft into a steep climb to reach 41,000 feet, the jet’s maximum altitude. Both engines became over-stressed and flamed out, causing the plane to stall. The pilots were unable to restart the damaged engines and crashed near a neighborhood. Investigators blamed unprofessional conduct, a lack of experience and pilot error for the crash.

Jan. 8, 2003: An Air Midwest twin-engine turboprop crashed into a hangar seconds after taking off from Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina. Twenty-one people were killed. Among other things, investigators found that inadequate maintenance procedures at the airline contributed to the incorrect repair of the aircraft’s controls.

Source: National Transportation Safety Board aviation accident reports