Transcripts from Plane Crash Reveal Violation of Safety Regulations

Buffalo, NYTranscripts from the Continental Connection plane, involved in the plane crash near Buffalo, NY, reveal that personal discussion took place during the flight, including as the plane descended into Buffalo. According to an article in The Wall Street Journal, the pilots rushed through mandatory checklists and then spent the flight discussing personal issues before the tragic airplane crash.

The transcript of the cockpit recorder was released May 12, just as public hearings into the Buffalo plane crash were set to begin. Safety regulations prohibit flight crew from discussing personal issues during high-risk flight maneuvers, such as when the plane is flying below 10,000 feet.

However, the transcripts show that the pilots talked about previous flight experience. They only discussed the flight conditions during the last few minutes of the flight, shortly before the plane crashed and 50 people were killed. At that time, the pilot mentioned that it was the most ice he had seen in a long time. However, the flight crew did not discuss an emergency plan—rather they went on to discuss their personal flight stories.

The co-pilot even said that she had more actual time with icing on her first day as a co-pilot than she had in time training.

"I've never seen icing conditions," the co-pilot said. "I've never deiced…I've never experienced any of that. I don't want to have to experience that and make those kinds of calls. You know I'dve freaked out. I'dve like seen this much ice and thought, 'Oh my gosh, we were going to crash'."

Although ice accumulation may have played a role in setting off a stick shaker to alert the pilots to a possible stall, National Transportation Safety Board data shows that the stall was ultimately caused by the captain's incorrect response to the alert.

A CNN report reveals that the pilot shouted out "Jesus Christ" and then "We're down," mere seconds before the plane crashed into a house. The co-pilot said "We're" and then screamed.