FAA meeting to address issue of improving flight safety

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), has called a "summit meeting" of airlines, pilot unions to discuss improving safety of regional airlines. While the goal is laudable the call raises questions about why regulators have been remiss about allowing the problems to fester.

About 15 years ago, a spate of regional air crashes involving pilots with shaky records, led federal regulators to promise a single level of safety for all airlines both small and large.

That promise was exposed for what it is as hearings into the 12 Feb crash of a Colgan Air turboprop that killed 50 people unfolded. Both captain and co-pilot were underpaid, inexperienced and probably also exhausted - federal actions were supposed to have addressed those failings in the 1990s.

Among the flaws investigators found in the Colgan accident concerns the revelation that captain Marvin Renslow, had failed several check flights before the crash and First Officer Rebecca Shaw- who drew less than $24,000 a year - had spent the night before the crash commuting to Newark from her home in Seattle on a late night flight. She had also no experience of flying in icing conditions.

Following the crash, Virginia-based Colgan claims to have reviewed its safety procedures, increased the level of experience required for its pilots to fly and is also putting in place systems to keep tabs on crew fatigue. The crash has, however, not affected the company's contract work and a company spokesman quoted Colgan president Buddy Casey as saying that after an accident one looked at oneself inside out.

Meanwhile, the Regional Airlines Association whose members now fly roughly half of domestic passenger traffic has called for initiating a slew of measures including an integrated database of pilot work records, extension of the period of background checks on flight crews from five to 10 years and random audits of cockpit voice recorders to ensure that crews are observing federal rules for "sterile" cockpit environments at non-cruise altitudes.

In the Colgan incident, many people were surprised to hear the crew talk about mundane matters even as they flew through poor weather.

Pilots, who have influence in the industry are, however, opposed to their cockpit conversation monitored. There are privacy concerns among pilots about having every moment of their working day recorded and reviewed by employers or government, they say. They point out that there are other better ways to ensure that the cockpit is being un in a professional manner they say.

Pilots are also concerned about new rules for oversight of their work commutes since many pilots choose to live based on quality-of-life issues and personal interests and consider their ability to commute one of the last remaining perks as others have eroded over the years. The US Airways (LCC) captain, who landed his plane safely in the Hudson River, Chesley Sullenberger, for instance, 35 miles east of San Francisco, but is based in Charlotte.

Meanwhile, the regional airline group plans to start its own fatigue-awareness management program. Additionally it will commission an independent study on fatigue and form its own safety board. According to president Roger Cohen, it has been a difficult time for the industry and the story of the industry's safety culture has not been told which has been frustrating for the members and for him personally.