Wed, Feb 03, 2010
Pilots "Did Not Take Action" That Could Have Prevented The
Accident
The NTSB has determined that the crash of Continental
Connection Flight 3407, a Bombardier Dash 8-Q400 owned by Colgan
Air, was the fault of the pilots not taking appropriate corrective
action when the accident sequence began. The board held a final
meeting on the crash Tuesday in Washington, DC.
Investigators said Captain Martin Renslow pulled back on the
aircraft's control yoke rather than pushing forward, which led to a
deeper stall that recovering from it. It also found that First
Officer Rebecca Shaw did not follow cockpit procedures, such as
calling out the stall or pushing forceabley on the controls, which
investigators said she had time to do.
In fact, the board found that both pilots had time to take
corrective action that would have prevented the crash. The board
staff indicated 27 seconds elapsed between the first warning from
the stick shaker to the time the flight data recorder record
ended.
CNN reports that the board said there was an almost casual tone
between the two pilots in the cockpit. Board member Robert Sumwalt
said "It was as if the flight was just a means for the captain to
conduct a conversation with this young first officer."
Another investigator, Dr. Evan Byrne said "The crew did not
perform in a way consistent with the training they received."
But while the board is focused on the pilots, it is also
looking at a wide variety of other factors that may have
contributed to the crash, including training, sleep patterns, and
commuting time. Renslow lived in Florida, while Shaw traveled to
work from the west coast. While there was known icing in the area
at the time of the accident, the board said ice was not a
factor.
Colgan Air had previously submitted a 67-page document that
placed the blame directly on the two pilots of the aircraft. The
board is expected to release a probable cause report quickly.
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