NTSB Public Hearing Into Buffalo Plane Crash Begins

Washington, DCIn the first day of the National Transportation Safety Board's (NTSB) 3 day hearing into the plane crash near Buffalo, NY, it was revealed that the pilot's reaction to a stall warning likely caused the tragic airplane crash. Furthermore, transcripts showed that the flight crew engaged in non-essential conversation prior to the accident and may have violated airline policy on commuting. The Buffalo plane crash resulted in the death of 49 people on the plane and 1 person on the ground.

"According to The Buffalo News, the first day of testimony in the public hearing included the chief test pilot for the Bombardier Q-400, who said that the pilot's initial reaction to the stall warning—pulling back the yoke and causing the plane to pitch upward—was absolutely the wrong reaction and set in motion events that resulted in the plane crash. Instead, the pilot should have lowered the plane's nose and increased power. Had he done that, the witness testified, the plane likely could have recovered and landed safely.

The hearing also included a computer simulation of the Flight 3407 as it approached Buffalo Niagara International Airport. The simulation showed the plane being cleared for landing, the flight crew putting the landing gear down and the plane descending to its crash point. What the simulation did not show was the conversation in the cockpit prior to the plane crash.

According to comments made by NTSB investigators, there were violations of Federal Aviation Administration safety regulations and airline policy that may have played a role in the plane crash. These include non-essential conversation during flight below 10,000 and the flight crew possibly having slept overnight in the crewroom at Newark—a violation of Colgan Air policy. Lorenda Ward, NTSB investigator in charge, testified that there was not record of either member of the flight crew having a place to stay in Newark, where the flight left from.

Furthermore, the co-pilot allegedly commuted to work the night before Flight 3407, possibly violating Colgan' commuting policy. According to Bloomberg, the co-pilot flew from Seattle to Newark, arriving just before 6:30 am on the day of the flight.

Although the hearing is designed to determine what caused the tragedy, a further goal is to prevent future similar tragedies from happening. However, nothing will bring back the 50 lives lost in the horrific plane crash.