Buffalo Plane Crash Hearings Set to Begin

Buffalo, NYOn May 12, the National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) 3-day public hearing into the plane crash in Clarence Center in New York is set to begin. The airplane crash took the lives of all 49 people on the plane and 1 person on the ground. News reports have suggested that icing, pilot error and fatigue may all have played a role in the tragedy. All though it is not normal procedure for plane crashes, the NTSB is, in this case, holding a public hearing.

According to an article in The Washington Post, the NTSB is expected to focus on pilot conduct and whether or not the pilots were adequately trained in using the plane's emergency features. Sources for the article reportedly mentioned that transcripts showed "extensive discussion" by the 2 pilots that was not related to flying. Pilot talk is limited to topics related to flying during high-risk flight operations.

Meanwhile, according to a report in the Buffalo News, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is conducting its own investigation into pilot hours and scheduling. The FAA reportedly sent letters to Colgan Air pilots regarding their scheduling. While the letters did not specifically mention the Buffalo plane crash, pilot fatigue and overwork have been the subject of speculation as a cause of the plane crash.

The article cites a memo from the Colgan pilots' union noting that a small group of pilots were identified by the FAA as possibly having violated flight-time or duty-time regulations. Those regulations state that pilots must not fly more than 8 out of 24 hours and they can only do so if the pilot has had at least 8 hours continuous rest during those 24 hours. The FAA has not confirmed the investigation.

In addition to pilot error and fatigue, icing has been mentioned as a possible precursor to the accident. Icing of a plane's wings and tail can change how the plane flies, possibly precipitating a stall, in which the plane loses lift.

Just prior to the crash, the plane's stick shaker, which warns pilots of a potential stall, was activated. The pilot reportedly responded by pulling on the control column, forcing the plane's nose up. Some experts have said that such a response was incorrect for the plane and actually increased the stall.

In fact, an article at dallasnews.com notes the horizontal stabilizer (part of the tail of an aircraft) collects more ice than the wings, so if pilots notice "significant" icing on the wings, it is possible that ice is also collecting on the horizontal stabilizer. Furthermore, stall caused by icing on the tail sometimes requires a different response than stall caused by icing on the wings and that pilots flying on autopilot would miss the warning signs of ice buildup on the horizontal stabilizer (the tail).

Lawsuits have been filed following the plane crash, alleging negligence in the design and maintenance of the plane used for Continental Flight 3407. Some claim that the tragedy could have been prevented if the plane were equipped with a low-airspeed warning system that would have given the pilots more time to respond to the potential stall.

Shortly after the plane's stick shaker was activated, the plane fell out of the sky, crashing into a house and killing 50 people. It was one of the deadliest plane crashes in recent years and sparked a great deal of speculation as to what could have caused the tragedy.